House of Cards ie Hearts or Diamonds II
by Roja-Cyd
Summary: Chapter 17, the aftermath of finding Dr. Tofu! Plot- Akane and Ranma travel halfway across the world, trying to solve a mystery and figure out their relationship at the same time! Sequel to Hearts or Diamonds.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This should have come out more polished, but it was a long day, and I just wanted to get it out.

Also, this story is bound to be more R-rated than the last.

DISCLAIMER: Ranma and co. don't belong to me.

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"It's not that I didn't care for her, you know. I loved her very much." Tofu smiled at me across the narrow examining table as he finished stitching up Kasumi's arm. Kasumi stared woodenly up at the ceiling, her blue dress and frilly apron draped demurely up to her knees. 

"Then why did you leave her?" I demanded. My brother-in-law stared at me wordlessly.

They say dreams are a way of the subconscious trying to make sense of things.

I waited and waited for a reply, but my id gave up looking for an explanation, and I woke up.

I opened my eyes, and was mildly chagrined to find them wet with tears. I could feel tear tracks drying on my cheeks and used a corner of my pillow to surreptitiously scrub them away. Even in private, I couldn't admit to the tears.

The phone rang shrilly and I picked up.

"Akane."

My heart slammed into my throat. Ranma. How did he find me? I thought I'd given him the slip, but he'd found me. Irrationally, I wanted to hang up.

"Don't even think about it." His cold tone made my palms sweaty and I had to shift my grip on the receiver.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, trying to run away from me, Akane?" he demanded.

"I don't belong to you," I whispered.

Harsh laughter washed into my ear. I slammed the receiver down and stood on trembling knees. I ran to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, the phone ringing ominously in the background.

I looked up at my reflection in the mirror to see rivulets of water running down my face. How could I leave him?

I needed to sort out the truth before I could be with him, the truth about Tofu. I felt like it had something to do with me. I wasn't around, I didn't find out. But now, it was a compulsion.

Ever since the affair with the diamond, something had been pestering me to find Tofu Ono, husband to my sister Kasumi. I'd been having dreams, even when I was with Ranma.

I still had issues with Ranma, but everything would have to wait until I found Tofu.

I wiped my face with my baby yellow face towel and felt a little better. So ok, Ranma had gotten my phone number from one of his nefarious sources somewhere and had called me up to check it out. Big deal, I'd be out of here as soon as…

My apartment door crashed open, banging off the wall a couple of times from the force with which it had been kicked in. 

I didn't wait for it to stop swinging.

I locked the bathroom door and stepped onto the rim of my bathtub. Quickly I unlocked my bathroom window and squeezed through it with a little more difficulty than I'd anticipated. Damn that pot roast last night! 

Outside, the wall was uniformly brownstone, and my window was three stories high. It faced the back of a Safeway and parked against the loading dock was a gigantic Safeway truck. I pushed off my wall as hard as I could, and landed on the top of the truck with a thunk.

I didn't pause to look up at my window, afraid I'd see a furious Ranma there. Instead I scrambled down onto the cab and onto the street. I ran out of the alley into the main street, where the morning rush hour had cars, trucks and people crowded all the way down to 14 Street. I lived in a section of downtown, so people on their way to work were staring at me dressed in pajamas.

I scowled at them. They were my favourite pajamas, too. They had little Hello Kitty faces on them. I chanced a quick look up and down the street. Of course, no taxi when you need one.

A sense of danger made me look behind me. No Ranma in sight, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I took off at a brisk jog down the street. It was downhill, which made my knees hurt, but I kept at it. It was preferable to being caught by Ranma.

Where was he, anyway? He was way faster than me. The locked bathroom door shouldn't have held him up more than a second, considering how mad he'd sounded over the phone.

I saw a police cruiser lying in wait for speeders at the next intersection and detoured into another alley. Didn't want the police to see a disheveled barefoot Japanese girl in Hello Kitty pajamas running down 19th Avenue.  

My heart was still pounding, more from fear than from exertion, and I skipped nimbly over the low wooden fence that separated more buildings from the busy road. The more distance between us, the better.

An arm curled out of nowhere and wrapped around my throat. I choked, clawed at the arm, my air completely shut off, and my bare, dirty feet hanging a couple of inches off the ground.

Instinctively, I tried to throw my attacker, using his weight against him, but that didn't work when I couldn't even get purchase on the ground.

"Where the fuck do you think you're running off to, Akane?" Ranma's breath was warm against my cheek, but his words were like ice.

I coughed and went limp in his arms, letting my head fall forward. Ranma's hold on me lessened, and he lowered my feet to the ground.

I braced, twisted, and threw him over my head.

Ranma crashed back-first into a collection of black plastic bags filled with garbage.

I ran down the alley and was almost back at the fence when he tackled me. All the breath whooshed out of me. I was flattened in an instant.

"You're sneaky, I'll give you that much," he said, not even out of breath, his weight crushing me like a mountain. Ranma had grown some since our school days. 

"Unh!Get…off!"

"Hell, no."

"Let me go, Ranma!"

"Never," he said quietly. He grabbed the hair at the back of my head with one hand and pulled me up none too gently with enough force to keep my head tilted back for fear some of my hair might come off by the roots.

It was painful but it kept me quiescent.

He quickly used something to tie my wrists and ankles, gathered me in his arms and took off over the rooftops.

Back in my apartment, he carelessly tossed me onto my pinstriped rose sofa and went into the kitchen to get himself a beer. I was worried the sofa would get dirt on it from all our rolling on the ground. Shows you how distracted I was, to worry about laundering my sofa, for heaven's sake.

I heard him pop the cap in the kitchen and when he came back, he kicked off his shoes, sat down opposite from me and took a long sip without taking his eyes off me. It was unnerving.

"Knock Knock," he said.

"Who's there?" I asked, insatiably curious.

"Ranma who?"

"Ranma gonna kick your butt if you try such a stunt again."

I groaned.

Ranma smiled. He seemed to be in a better mood now.

I cautiously said, "I left a note."

He frowned, fished in his right shirt pocket and brought out a crumpled piece of paper. He smoothed it out.

"Dear Ranma," he read. "This isn't working out. I need some space to think about some things. I'll call you when I can. Akane."

I cringed. As notes went, it wasn't a particularly satisfactory one, I knew. Still, I'd been in a bit of a hurry.

He glanced up, a bitter twist to his smile.

"Not really informative," he said. "And you hid very well. It's taken me a month just to get a phone number to track you with."

"How long are you going to keep me shackled up like this?" I asked.

"Until you tell me what's going on," he said.

"I…I had a dream," I said.

He looked disbelieving.

"A dream?"

I nodded.

He suddenly looked worried.

"Have those ghosts been haunting you?"

"From the Great Moghul? No, it's nothing to do with them," I replied. I was reluctant to tell Ranma that I wanted to return to Japan, because I didn't want to go with him.It would stir up too many memories to go back together, and if my father saw me with Ranma…

I didn't even want to go there. Not even in my head.

But he'd ferreted me out. I was out of ideas at the moment. Maybe later something would crop up.

"I need to find Dr. Tofu," I explained.

"Dr. Tofu? Why?"

"He...he married Kasumi, a little after you left, and…well, they were happy for a while. I left for America, and then…when I went back to visit a year later, he'd just disappeared. No one wrote me when it happened. Nabiki wouldn't talk much about it, and Kasumi kind of went…a bit weird."

"Weird? How weird?"

"Well, vacant."

Ranma was watching me, listening to the story, dangling the beer bottle between his knees.

"Do you know where he might be?"

"No." I shook my head. "But I have some ideas of where to start looking."

"And I suppose you didn't want me to come with you,"  

"Ranma, we're not kids anymore," I pointed out. "We're adults. We're not bound to each other. We made no promises."

Ranma leaned forward, menace darkening his blue eyes, his dark hair falling almost boyishly over his forehead.

"Let me promise you this. You're not running from me until I'm done with you."

"It's not up to you when I get to leave," I said.

"Why did you leave?"

"You know why," I said.

Silence.

"Well, you SHOULD know why," I said.

Ranma threw his arms in the air.

"Women! I'll never understand you."

"Nobody asked you to!" I turned my head aside, so angry I could feel tears gathering behind my eyelids. "You can't just hop into my life after eight years and expect to take it over, you know."

"We wouldn't have been apart for eight years if you hadn't…" Abruptly, Ranma stopped talking.

"Fooled you?" I said bitterly. "Yes, I know." My shoulders were starting to hurt, but Ranma showed no signs of letting me loose. I rolled my shoulders, trying to ease the strain. Of course, no bodyguard worth his salt would tie a prisoner's hands in the front.

"So, you're just going to walk away from me?" he asked patiently.

Strange. I'd never really known Ranma to be patient before.

I averted my head. What could I tell him? That I wanted the two troublesome issues in my life to be separate so I could deal with them separately? 

"I've been assigned another job," I said.

"Where?" Ranma asked.

"Japan."

He gave me a skeptical look.

"Well, that's mighty convenient."

"The agency can be…accommodating," I said.

Ranma stood, walked towards me and began to untie the knots on my wrists.

"What's your mission?"

"I don't know," I replied, rubbing one wrist with my hand. "I'll find out tomorrow."

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I plan to pay more attention to Ranma and Akane's relationship in this one, so anyway, let me know what you think. 


	2. Poker

A/N: Hey, whaddaya know, a fast-ish update! All your reviews do push me to get the story going, you know. ^__^  

Though, can you believe it, some of my reviews disappeared! Thank goodness I had e-mail alert! Grrr, dunno why the invisible reviews don't appear. Anyone know how to fix that?

 This chapter is Ranma's point-of-view. If the grammar sounds odd, it's because I'm still working on getting his voice right.

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"So why the hell did you run away?" I asked again, patiently enough, from where I was standing.

Akane sat sideways on a single-seater couch, her head against one cushioned arm, her bare feet propped against the other. The position forced her knees close to her face. I'd freed her arms and she was rubbing her wrists.

She glanced at me. Her short dark hair was tousled over her eyes and around her cheeks, from sleep, I assumed.

"I told you already," she said, a small frown between her eyebrows.

I walked closer, letting her know I was invading her space.

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

She looked away. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, which annoyed me.

I drew closer, and grasped her chin with my fingers, forcing her to look up at me.

"Tell me the truth."

"Don't be such a bully." She knocked my hand aside, stood and tried to move past me.

I blocked her with my body.

"You still don't trust me, is that it?" I took a shot in the dark, and watched with increasing anger as her face gave her away just for a moment.

 "I was your first," I held my fists clenched tightly. "Doesn't that mean something?" 

She walked past me. "Don't let it go to your head. I was simply proving a point."

I watched her go.

I was about to challenge her again when a fluffy white Persian cat came out of the bedroom. 

My brain shut down.

"C…cat," I moaned in mortal terror.

"Shampoo…" Akane crooned, bending down. "C'mere, honey." The cat jumped into her arms, purring.

I backed away, my palms thrown up in a warding-off gesture. "You have a _cat_?! What in the world were you THINKING??"

"I think Shampoo wants to say hi to you, Ranma," Akane said slyly, turning around. "I know you didn't meet her last time but…"

I fled. Retreat is the better part of valour, they say, or something like that. Close enough. I could pick my battles, as long as I lived to fight another day.

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Akane and I called a temporary truce to go downtown and get her new assignment. Not that she had much of a choice since I'd tricked Shampoo into a closet with a piece of fish.

So now she was in her office building.

Akane watched the two occupants of the large office.

From her ear, I watched them, too.

"You're Akane Tendo? I expected someone…older." The woman in the slim black suit and designer cats-eye glasses frowned and crossed her arms. Her pencil thin legs were already crossed as she leaned back in her leather seat. 

Not the most inviting body language.

The other person in the room sat behind the huge walnut desk that dominated the room. Akane's chubby boss, Yamayato Keichi, was smiling cheerily at her.

"Welcome, Akane! I've been telling Ms. Noriega here all about your last trip. I'm aware we don't usually tell potential clients about other assignments but in this case, what you retrieved is now public property.The Great Moghul diamond, indeed! Well, how are you?"

The camera dipped as Akane bowed slightly. "I'm well, Mr. Yamayato, thank you for asking."

"Good good, well, like I said, Ms. Noriega's been hearing good things about you, so I suppose she WAS expecting someone older."

Kelly Noriega was one of the richer businesswomen in Los Angeles, and it showed in her outfit and her attitude. The woman herself though, left something to be desired.

"I didn't realize there was an age restriction," I heard Akane say quite politely.

I couldn't see her from my position in the car, of course, but the tiny video cam I'd attached to her ear made me a little fly on the wall. Akane had been dead set against me joining her to receive her latest job assignment, but I hadn't let that stop me. Much.

It amazed me how Akane could switch personalities in a blink, like a magician changing hats. After yelling at me for a few hours for tying her up, she'd walked into the building as cool a cucumber, dressed in a green silk V-neck sweater and a black skirt that screamed 'efficient'.

If I was Noriega, I'd have said 'You're hired' as soon as she walked through the doorway. But then again, I AM kinda prejudiced towards Akane.

"I don't have a problem with your age, Miss Tendo," Kelly Noriega was saying on the little TV monitor in my car. "You come highly recommended."

"That's what they all say." I heard amusement in Akane's voice.

"Please, have a seat." Noreiga gestured to a chair. She pushed back a lock of shining black hair, obviously structuring her words.

The camera moved as Akane sat down.

"How can I help you, Ms. Noriega?" she asked. From her tone you wouldn't guess what she was thinking. Not that I had a clue what she was thinking. And boy, how many times had that gotten me into trouble… It didn't bear thinking of.

"Please, call me Kelly," Noriega said, clasping her hands in front of her. Hmm, a sign of nervousness. She looked into Akane's face as though she were trying to read it.

"The reason I contacted your company for a courier is that I need a…map...transported."

"A map," Akane said encouragingly.

"Yes, it's a route to…"

Akane held up a hand. "There's no need for that information. All I need is a destination."

"Yes, exactly," Noriega said. "Well, I'll need you to deliver the map and its packaging to the Temple of the Blue Heron in Nerima."

Akane didn't say anything, and for a second I wondered if she'd missed it.

"Its packaging?" Akane asked softly. The strange wording had made me uneasy, too.

"What sort of packaging is it in?" 

Noriega stiffened in her seat.

Wary, I imagined some kind of precious casket studded with jewels. That would be a hell of thing to cart around the world. Just thinking of US customs gave me a chill.

"You know we can only give you more details if you take the assignment, Akane," Yamayato said.

"It's the only one you have for Japan?" Akane really wanted to go back home, and she said she needed an assignment for home. I wasn't exactly sure how much dough she had, or even how much she needed. She was incredibly close-mouthed nowadays.

Just take her runnin' away from me, for instance. I coulda told her she was wasting her time. I had only the foggiest idea of why she'd skipped town. But now that I'd fulfilled my job of saving her ass, I wasn't about to let Akane go anytime soon. I'd had my share of girls, and been chased by the best. None of them came close to doing for me what Akane did. Maybe part of it was that she never tried to attract me. She actually hated my guts most of the time. And yet, there was just something about her…the way she held herself, the way the stance of her lithe frame challenged the world . I wanted to answer that challenge.

"Yes." Yamayato was saying. "it's the only one for the area you're interested in." Despite his friendliness, Akane's boss was sly. He made no attempt to sway her either way. Probably he didn't even care all that much. He had other couriers at his disposal. But I knew Akane needed the money.

None of them had made any mention of money in the office however. Akane's company was very discreet. The fee was the first thing they gave her information about.

"Fine, I accept the assignment," she said formally, bowing slightly.

Noriega unbent slightly. Yamayato nodded.

"Excellent," her boss said. He punched a button on his desk. "Lily, bring the package in."

Before long, a tall, leggy blonde came in, herding a small boy of about 8 years old in front of her. He looked Japanese, with spiky black hair, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

"What's going on?" Akane blurted out, surprised for once.

I was getting a bad feeling.

"This is Jain. He's the 'packaging'." Akane's boss had a twinkle in his geriatric eye.

Akane sat silently for a moment. I'd sat up in the car, unable to believe my ears. 

"You're serious."

"No, I'm joking!" Her boss started to laugh.

"Really?"

"No, Akane, of course I'm serious. Why else is there an eight year old boy in my office?"

"I thought he was your grandson."

Yamayato looked shocked. "Akane! How old do you think I am?"

"….."

"Jain, take off your t-shirt." This from Noriega, looking tense and worried. Her shoulders were stiff and there were tiny stress lines around her nostrils..

The boy, with a long-suffering look on his face, sighed, reached under his armpits and lifted. Then he turned around unbidden.

Despite knowing what I was going to see, I couldn't help but take a deep breath. Akane gasped. Tattooed against the boy's skinny shoulder blades was a map of some kind. 

"Didn't that hurt?" Akane asked disbelievingly.

"Jain, answer the lady," Noriega said. She had her eyes averted from the map.

"No," was Jain's monosyllabic reply.

"You want me to transfer him…where?" Akane asked. I could tell she was boiling over with questions. Hell, so was I.

"To Nerima," Yamayato said. "You're lucky I was able to get a package going to right where you wanted." Akane's boss smiled as though conferring a huge favour on her.. "Now, you'll deliver him to the temple of the Blue Heron. Anyone within the temple walls will take over Jain for you. Half now, half later."

I studied the boy from the limited view I had of him. Jain had a mutinous look in his eyes as he watched the people in the room decide his future. He was small, bony in the manner of eight year old boys, still very much a child. I remembered being that short, kinda. His spiky black hair stuck out in all directions and. I couldn't bring myself to believe he was a priest-in-training. Well, that's what he most likely was, anyway. 

Akane walked forward until she stood before the boy. His small face was turned away from her. She knelt before him.

"Hi, Jain," she said in a friendly voice. "My name is Akane."

"I _know _that…!" Jain turned angrily to face her, but whatever else he was about to say was lost when he looked at her.

Akane smiled. I didn't know for sure, but I could tell by the star-struck expression on Jain's face.

"Want to be friends?" she asked gently.

He nodded slowly.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat. Akane Tendo had made another conquest. Geez, the chick was like a loaded gun.

I waited impatiently while they finished up the meeting and Akane led a silent Jain downstairs. Halfway down, Akane reached up and switched off her camera. My monitor went black. I watched as the two of them, looking equally apprehensive, came through the glass doors and onto the busy sidewalk. Passersby stared briefly at them, and moved on. 

Akane looked around, and then led Jain towards the car. Jain stopped dead when he saw me, his eyes grew huge, and he began to back away.

"No!" he cried, spun and tried to run around Akane. She hauled him back by the neck of his T-shirt without much ado.

"Jain! Quiet down, there's nothing to be afraid of," she murmured. Jain stopped and glanced warily at me.

"He…looks scary." The kid pointed at me with a finger.

"He does, but he's not. Have you seen Monsters, Inc.? Remember Sully? He just looked scary, remember? He wasn't so bad."

Jain stared at me. Great, Akane had him thinking I wasn't really a monster, I just LOOKED like one.

"This is a fine pickle you've got us into, Stanley," I said, quoting from Laurel & Hardy as Akane opened the passenger door.

"Stuff it, Ollie," she said absently, shooing Jain into the back. Once they were seated, she turned around.

"Jain, this is Ranma. He's going to come with us on this trip, to make sure you get to the Blue Heron temple safely, okay?"

Jain watched me suspiciously for a minute.

I raised my palms, trying to look harmless. Hard when you're tall for a Japanese guy, and work out every day to boot.

"Hey kid, I've got nothin' against you," I said, venturing a half smile.

He peered up at me, screwing his face up into a serious look. It was dark in the interior of the car, and Jain squinted, trying to make out my face.

"You have eyes like rain clouds," he said, finally.

"Uh…" That was the last thing I'd expected. "Actually, they're kinda blue-grey…sometimes…"

"They are not brown," he said. "That's ok, then."

He sat back, as though he'd decided something.

"We can go," he said, and closed his eyes.

Akane and I stared at him, astounded.

We looked at each other. Akane shrugged.

"We do have a plane to catch," she said. "And we need to get you ticket as well, unless you've changed your mind about…"

I glared at her.

"Never mind."

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Well, I'm trying to balance Akane's assignment, her real reason for going to Japan, and her relationship with Ranma. Hope it works. I plan to release a chapter of my Fruits Basket story, Possession, after this. But I'll try to update this soon anyway.


	3. The Element of Surprise

**Chapter 3. The Element of Surprise**

I relaxed slightly in my car seat, keeping an eye on Jain through my side view mirror. The young boy- now my responsibility - sat in the backseat, his eyes watching the busy streets outside. Beside me, Ranma drove the Mercedes with calm assurance, his attention on the road.

I closed my eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to juggle Ranma and my assignment, not to mention my personal quest of finding Tofu.

"We'll go back to your place, get your stuff together. I'll worry about gettin' Jain and me added to your travel itinerary," Ranma said. I glanced at him. He looked so different, yet the same. His frame had lengthened, his powerful shoulders broadened, though his waist was still slim. I could see a hint of biceps even in the two-tone black silk Tang jacket he was wearing.

"Stop taking charge, Ranma," I demanded.

He glanced at me, smirked. "Is there anything there you'd change?"

I met his rain-colored gaze. "Not necessarily. Just remember, this is MY assignment, and you're just tagging along!"

He frowned. "Taggin' along? Hey, I'm trying to keep your ass safe here!"

"I don't need...!" I glanced around at Jain, who was listening in keenly. "We can have this conversation later, Ranma. Let's just get to the airport."

"I'm hungry, Tendo-san," Jain announced.

"What do you want to eat?" I asked, smiling at him.

"McDonald's," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "How long have you been in this country?" I asked. He counted briefly.

"Two weeks," he said.

My mouth opened to ask him another question, and I forcibly shut it. It was none of my business, I told myself. Ranma, however, had no such qualms.

"You must miss home, huh, Jain?" he asked. The boy nodded. "Where did you live before?"

"Osaka," Jain replied, looking sad.

"Who brought you to America, Jain?" Ranma asked.

Jain's eyes widened in memory. He looked away. "A bad man." He wouldn't say any more, and I shushed Ranma. The less we knew about Jain, the better. He was just a 'package', I told myself.

Back at my apartment complex, I quickly checked my mail while Ranma held the elevator door open. Bills, of course, and...

I stared wordlessly at the large, shiny black, square envelope in my cold fingers. The postage marked it as being sent from Japan. I didn't recognize the return address. Quickly, I bundled it with the rest of the mail, and joined Ranma and Jain in the elevator, avoiding their curious looks.

In my apartment, I seated Jain at the kitchen table with a Big Mac, fries and a giant shake, left Ranma with the phone, and went into the bedroom. I forced myself to go through my bills briefly before turning my attention to the envelope. The paper was of excellent quality.

Finally, I tore it open. An elegant black and silver card in some sort of expensive Asian brocade fell out. On its delicate vellum overlay were the words...

_The Tendo family and the Kuno family would like to invite you..._

My eyes read the words but my brain simply wouldn't absorb the meaning. Open mouthed, I read the words over and over again, as though trying to force myself to understand. Slowly, comprehension filtered in.

"What's wrong?" The sharp, terse voice broke into my thoughts.

I looked up, still wordless. Ranma gently pulled the bedroom door shut behind him, then approached me.

"Here," I said, thrusting the invitation into his hands. I made for the bathroom, trying to get as far away from the piece of paper as possible. Ranma, reading the invitation, caught my wrist almost casually with his free hand.

"Gonna run away again?' he murmured. "Hold on." His grip wasn't harsh, but it was unbreakable. I tugged hard, to no effect.

He finished reading, then looked up, shock bright in his eyes.

"Nabiki? And Kuno?"

I glanced away, still unable to believe it. Nabiki was marrying Kunou, that monster? There was an unpleasant ache in my throat.

"It says they're getting married in a month," Ranma continued. He frowned. "Isn't that kinda late notice for a wedding?"

"Can you let go of my arm now?" I gritted out. "We have a plane to catch."

Ranma watched me, as though waiting for something else, then released my wrist. I forced myself not to rub it. I wanted to show him no sign of weakness whatsoever.

"We'll have to discuss this at some point, you know," Ranma warned. "You've got to stop hiding from your family at some point, Akane."

My laughter had a bitter edge to it. "And where's YOUR father, Ranma?" I taunted him. "When was the last time you saw HIM? Hm? And your mother? Is she still keeping house for you in Osaka, awaiting the return of her manly son?"

Ranma growled in frustration, stalked out and slammed the door shut behind him. I clenched my fists, then drew a deep breath. Ugh! What was wrong with me? Most sisters reacted with happiness when their sisters were getting married. Why was MY family so dysfunctional? Or was it just me?

I quickly packed a suitcase, throwing in fresh underwear, t-shirts, jeans and skirts. I had a gun, but decided not to take it with me. I could always get another in Japan. I had hook-ups. Briefly, I debated the idea of ditching Ranma again, but decided it was just too much trouble.

Jain had added an entirely new element to my assignment. I wondered how safely I could transport him to Japan. Well at least I had a direct flight to Tokyo. In a day or two, after stuffing the kid with airplane food and letting him watch Bingo on the flight a few times, I could safely deliver him to the temple on my way to my hotel.

Outside my bedroom, I could hear Ranma making additional reservations everywhere. I looked at my cell phone, debating. Finally, I picked it up and pressed the buttons.

_Ring ring..._

"Moshi moshi," a voice answered. Dad- I recognized the voice instantly.

I hung up. I just couldn't face his tears at the moment. Maybe I was being cowardly, but I wanted to get to Japan and get my bearings before I went home.

Striding out the door, I saw that Ranma had hung up the phone. "It's done," he said quietly. "Everything's arranged."

I watched him for any sign of anger, but he gave no sign of it. As far as I could tell, we might just as well not have talked at all."Let's go," I said.

All the way to the airport, I pondered the new complications in my life. I certainly had never transported a living being anywhere before. Packages, yes, many times. All were invaluable, to their owners. But Jain was a child. I couldn't let harm come to him anyway.

And now I had to attend a wedding- one where I hated the groom, and the bride was my own flesh and blood.

Once we'd gotten Ranma and Jain tickets to join my itinerary, we boarded the direct flight to Tokyo. Ranma and I seated Jain between us, for safety's sake. I have to say, it did a lot for my peace of mind, too. Putting as much space between me and Ranma as possible was only for the best.

Jain examined the controls in front of him curiously. I watched him with some curiosity myself. He seemed so young. Where were his parents? What was he doing with Kelly Noriega in the first place? Her world was all business, and Jain was...well, his hair wasn't shaved, so he wasn't a monk-in-training yet. So was he going to become a temple acolyte?

And why on earth did he have a map tattooed on his shoulder blades? And WHERE did the map lead?

A pretty airhostess brought the dinner cart up. Ranma, Jain and I were served Spanish mackerel with some kind of jelly compote and boiled vegetables. Ranma and I hadn't eaten for a while, and Jain acted as though he hadn't just inhaled a burger a couple of hours ago. We all ate silently.

"Is he your boyfriend, Tendo-san?"

"What?" I shot up in my seat, nearly knocking my dinner tray off the tiny fold-out table.

Jain pointed at Ranma, who was grinning with amusement, watching me squirm. Oh man, did he have to look so bewitching when he smiled? I remembered him smiling that way at me in China, while he ran his hand down my side...I mentally shook myself, trying to dispel the images.

"He's my bodyguard, Jain," I said, sidestepping the question. Ranma's narrow glance told me he'd caught the evasion. "Ranma's here to take care of us."

Not that I needed taking care of, but it was a simplistic answer, and I didn't want to scare Jain too much into thinking we needed protection.

"I need the bathroom," my charge said, wiggling in his seat.

I sighed. "Okay, I'll walk you to the back." I led Jain to the back of the plane where the toilets were located. He let himself into a vacant one and I watched as the sign changed to 'occupied'.

It gave me a moment to look around at the other passengers. Many were Japanese, though there were Americans and British, among others, who looked to be tourists. Most of them were still finishing dinner, and some had nodded off. A few were watching programs on their respective screens, and still others were talking in quiet tones to their companions.

"Excuse me," a man said. I'd been lost in my thoughts again and hadn't noticed him come up behind me.

I turned, and my mouth almost fell open. He was Japanese, and gorgeous. As tall as Ranma, with wide, wide shoulders, and a gorgeously toned body encased in a long Chinese silk red and black jacket and pants. His bangs were long and spiky in front, but his hair was razored away above his ears on both sides. His face was one with high cheekbones and sculpted lips. His golden, glowing eyes were fixed on me. He bowed politely.

"Please excuse me," he said again.

Embarrassed, I realized I was blocking his way to the bathroom.

"So sorry!" I gasped, and jumped aside.

He smiled. "It's quite all right. It's not often that my way is blocked by one so lovely."

"Haha," I laughed weakly. Was he kidding? Had to be. Or he was just being polite? And why was his smile sending my hormones into overdrive and sending my IQ plunging downwards?

Get a hold of yourself, Akane! I shook myself mentally.

"Are you waiting in line?" He asked.

"Oh, no!" I shook my head. "My...nephew's in there. I'm just waiting out here for him."

"Yes, it's convenient to have a non-stop flight, isn't it? Though that makes the flight quite tiring and frequent rest stops necessary." He studied me. "You're Japanese- Going home?"

My smile faded. "Um, yes, sort of. Just...visiting relatives."

He laughed. "You look guilty! Haven't been back in a while, I think?"

My good mood left me as I recalled the wedding invitation in my suitcase. "Yes, something like that. Well, don't let me stop you. Please, go ahead."

"Thank you." He inclined his head. As he pushed past me into an empty stall, I had time to glimpse a long, thick braid falling nearly to his knees, before the door clicked shut behind him.

I held a hand to my heart. Wow. Those eyes! Was there any chance I could get his phone number? Oh wait- Ranma. I sighed. Never mind. For a minute there, he'd taken me back to memory lane with his questions, but it was just small talk, from one stranger to another. And what a hunk!

As Jain came out and we walked back to our seats, I began to hum Madonna's 'beautiful stranger' under my breath.

The plan landed safely in Tokyo. Ranma, Jain and I went through customs quickly. Ranma had just the one duffel bag. He still traveled light, it seemed. I kept an eye out for the handsome stranger with the spiky bangs, but no luck. Probably he was somewhere in the back, or he'd left already. I put him out of my mind as we walked out into the sunshine.

We hired a car again, and Ranma did a full check inside and outside with an electronic gadget.

Then we headed off to the Temple of the Blue Heron. All along the ride, I wondered- Was my assignment really going to be so simple? The temple was just a few blocks away. I just had to deliver Jain here and my assignment ended. My entire body was on alert for any kind of attack.

But nothing happened.

Ranma drove the car up to a wrought iron pair of gates. From there, a steep set of stairs led up to the temple itself. A young monk in yellow robes was sweeping the front of the entrance. He looked up when he saw the car coming.

We got out and Jain ran forward.

"Brother Nhuy!" he cried happily. He hastily bowed before the priest, who smiled and bowed back. "Welcom back, little brother," he said on soft tones.

"You have brought Jain safely back to us," he said, looking at Ranma and me. "You can consider your duty fulfilled."

The magic words. My job was done.

We bowed. Jain turned to smile at us.

"Thank you for bringing me this far," he said, and bowed to us.

"You'll be okay, Jain?' I asked again, still unable to believe how easy my job had been. It just felt too easy, somehow.

"Yes, this is my home," he said, his smile showing his small teeth. His two front teeth were missing, I noticed suddenly. Obviously he'd started outgrowing his milk teeth. The sight was somehow endearing. I smiled back, and on impulse handed him a card as I hugged him quickly.

"If you ever need me for anything," I said. It was unlikely he would call. Like he said, the temple was his home, and I'd only known him for two days, but what the hell.

It looked like I was going to be in Japan for longer than I planned, anyway.

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A/N: Phew! My muse is acting odd this summer. Can't focus on what I WANT to write. I WANT to bring out another chapter of Possession and Tokens and even Blood Moon. Aaaargh! (tearing hair)


	4. Diplomacy

A/N: Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Here's chapter 4! Please review. It's a bit shorter, but I promise more action in the next chapter. It's 4am and I'm sooooooooo sleepy! Thanks so much for all the reviews!!!!!!! :D

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"Separate rooms!" Akane shouted up at me. "End of story, Ranma!"

"What? Why?" I demanded. "We've been sleeping together for…"

Akane blushed furiously. "That doesn't matter!" she cried. "I need my space. And there is no 'us' until this whole thing is over."

Abruptly, the temperature between us dropped and my eyes turned chilly. "That's the way you want it, huh?" I said quietly. "Sure, fine, have it your way." If I said another word to her, icicles would fall from my numb lips. My head began to hurt from the ice I had wrapped around my aura. I spun on one foot and walked away, to the entrance of the hotel.

"Good morning, sir," the doorman wished me. I paused, and a flourishing potted fern next to him began to frost over. Luckily, he didn't notice.

"Good morning," I said, and he gasped for breath as the air around him turned inexplicably chilly. "That's all right," I said, moving on. "I'll find my own way in."

I left Akane behind me. She had to stride fast to catch up with her shorter legs, and the petty revenge was slightly satisfying.

"Ranma Saotome," I told the pretty clerk at Reception. "Single room." She smiled at me- gaped up at me, rather. It was pretty uncommon to meet any Japanese man who hit six feet in height, but I'd been training forever, and I had the scarred, battle-ready body to show for it. I tried not to hulk over petite women. Though the receptionist didn't look…scared.

Akane came up next to me, and scowled at her. The receptionist's smiled wilted a bit.

"Are you together?" she asked, looking from Akane to me.

"Separate rooms," I said shortly. Her smile returned. "Certainly, Mr. Saotome." Her fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, and then she handed me a key. "Room 707," she said.

"Thank you," I murmured, prolonging eye contact.

"Akane Tendo," growled a voice, and Akane elbowed her way past me. "And I'd like a room, too, preferably before the sun goes down!" I smirked.

The receptionist turned her glance to Akane, and then returned her attention to her computer. She handed Akane a key. "Room 910, madam," she said coldly.

"Don't you have something else on the seventh floor?" Akane asked, frowning. She turned her head to me. "Just in case I need to get in touch with you quickly."

"The phone will do just fine," I replied. "Sayanora."

I winked at the receptionist and strolled off in the direction of the elevators, leaving Akane behind to sort out method of payment. I only had a carry-on, so I rolled it behind me and got onto the elevator and pressed my floor number. An overweight woman in a pink Chinese silk dress followed me in, and pressed 9. Same floor as Akane.

She gave me a quick, nervous smile and then focused her attention on the light above the steel door that blinked from floor to floor.

I got out on 7, and made my way to my room. The key unlocked it smoothly, and I entered. The room was well appointed, but all I needed was the bed, the shower and the phone. I did a quick visual search of the room and spotted the bathroom. Dropping my carryall on the bed, I stripped, and made my way into the shower. Damn, it felt good. Nothing like stinging hot spray to ease away tension in the shoulders. Next, I filled up the tub and sank into it upto my shoulders, though my knees stuck out of the water. Nothing to do about that, after all, the tub was made for a shorter man.

I lay back, and thought about the current situation. We'd delivered Jain safely to the temple, so that part of Akane's assignment was over, but her main purpose in coming to Japan had been to find Dr. Tofu.

I didn't have to help her. SHE was the one who'd run away. You couldn't get a clearer message than that from a 'Dear John' letter. But still I was hanging around her like a besotted lover, unable to let go.

Why, dammit?

Maybe because she reminded me of good times on my life, when I was surrounded by friends, and rivals, and family. I'd spent very little time thinking of Akane since I'd left Nerima. I'd closed off that part of my mind when I thought she'd betrayed me. I'd spent my time becoming better and better in martial arts, and learning something of the ways of the world. I wasn't quite the naïve sixteen year old I'd been when I'd met Akane. After all, eight years gave you a certain amount of perspective on things.

Surprisingly, I still cared about Akane. She made my blood flame, and those weeks in that cabin in the mountains had been some of the best of my life. Plus, I liked so many things about her.

She was so smart, for one thing. Okay, not about men, really, and she had a lot to learn about trust, but when it came to solving a problem, she always had an idea. She was kind, and sweet, and thoughtful.

BUT the issue of trust was still there. I hmphed out loud, laying my head back against the cold porcelain, and closing my eyes. If she wanted me, she had to trust me. Okay, I decided, the ball's in her court.

The phone rang, and I opened my eyes. My fingers were turning pruny, so I got out of the bathtub and pulled the plug. I didn't bother wrapping a towel around myself, just ran for the phone.

"Yeah."

"Ranma?"

"Akane."

"Were you busy?"

"I was in the bath."

"Oh…OH." She sounded embarrassed on the phone, most probably about all the visuals she was getting of me right now. Serve her right. "Well, I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you want to meet in the lobby for lunch? We should discuss what we're going to do next."

"Sure, give me twenty," I said, pleased that my voice sounded normal. I'd show her I could keep business and pleasure separate.

I dressed quickly, donning a fitted jacket over a soft white cotton shirt, and slacks with dress shoes. I stood out less in this kind of attire, and I certainly didn't want to draw attention…yet.

Akane was in the lobby, anxiously waiting, her arms folded about herself. She looked cute in her wraparound skirt and tank top. It made her look harmless, too. She spotted me and smiled tightly.

"Nerima sushi all right?" she asked as greeting. I nodded and followed her in to the hotel's restaurant.

Once we were seated and had ordered, Akane leaned forward on her forearms.

"Ranma, I'm sorry about earlier. I kind of overreacted."

Whoa. I sat back. "What's this? Akane Tendo apologizing?" I checked the ground. "Did hell just freeze over?"

Akane coloured. "Look," she said, "Don't make a big deal out of it. I still think I was right, by the way." She looked into my eyes, and didn't like what she saw there. "No, I mean…" She sighed and, grabbing the glass of water the restaurant had thoughtfully provided, took a big gulp, swallowed. Then she raised her gaze to mine.

"Ranma," she said. "I'm not pushing you away. Anything BUT. It's just that, I've found you after so long, and I don't want to wreck this again…" She blushed, and her gaze drifted to a potted palm placed discreetly against a wall.

She waved her hand helplessly. "I just don't see how I can juggle all this at once."

Hmm. What she said made an uncomfortable kind of sense. "You really want to find Dr. Tofu, don't you?" I asked, studying her expression.

Her big brown eyes looked up at me fiercely. "I really do." Her eyes clouded over. "I keep having these dreams. About him, you see. Or…he's in them, and he's talking to me, and trying to provide an explanation for everything."

She smiled. "Well, they say that dreams are just a way of the 'wish-fulfillment' part of your brain trying to fulfill your wishes, but my brain can never come up with a good enough reason for Dr. Tofu to leave Kasumi, so I always wake up before he finishes his explanation."

"Wow, Akane," I paused as the waiter came over with our food. "MY assignments were never this interesting."

Akane looked interested. "What sort of assignments did you have, Ranma?" She delicately nabbed a piece of tempura from the serving plate with her chopsticks.

"Well, there was this one time," I let my eyes drift to the ceiling, remembering. "We had to rescue a dignitary from kidnappers who were demanding over 10 million US dollars in ransom. It was a quick search and rescue. Our recon team gave us info, we found the place and flushed out a few rats, and the dignitary was safe, no harm, no foul."

Akane regarded me with shrewd eyes. "Why do I get the feeling you make it sound a lot easier than it really was?"

I shrugged.

"Do you still get martial arts challenges?" she asked.

I snorted. "Do I ever! Dunno how these people track me down when I'm supposed to be in special forces and living unlisted!"

"They certainly never had a problem finding their way to Nerima!" Akane exclaimed.

I chewed on a shrimp. It was tasty."This one time, I was getting' out of the shower, when a swordhilt suddenly jutted out of my bathroom wall. It was the heir of the school of red-hand sword fighting, who'd heard I was the best at anything-goes, and came to see if I was as good as they say with a sword."

Akane stared at me, wide-eyed, her chopsticks forgotten. "But you fight hand-to-hand."

"Well, as luck would have it, Pops had been training me in sword combat for a while before that, so…it took me a while, but we fought with swords, and I won."

"Though I had to fight almost naked," I added. "The heir gave me a towel, but that's where she drew the line."

"She?" Akane's eyes narrowed.

"Yup, she was very good," I nonchalantly popped another slice of shrimp into my mouth, recalling. "The red-hand technique is one of the harder ones to beat."

"How did you beat her?" Akane asked, scowling.

"My towel accidentally fell of, and she…got distracted. It was enough."

Akane rolled her eyes. "Anything to win, huh?"

I grinned. "Pretty much." I was relaxing somewhat. This new Akane was puzzling, but enjoyable to be around. I wondered how truly different she was, and how that would affect things.

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Click and review!!!


	5. Disappearance

Happy New year, everyone! If you haven't donated to the tsunami effort yet, you should.

Disclaimer: Ranma and co. don't belong to me. I'm only playing in that world.

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**Chapter 5 -Disappearance**

Ranma and I exchanged stories for a while- where we'd been, what we'd done, the scrapes we'd gotten into in our respective lines of work, and how we'd gotten out of them.

It felt odd- It might have been any old friend with whom I was catching up on old times, but this was Ranma, albeit a more grown-up version. He was so much taller, and so pumped. Not that I was staring at his biceps or anything.

Watching his eyes light up as he explained a particular move he'd devised, a strong feeling of familiarity washed over me. I knew him so well; and yet so much about the working of his mind was still-and always had been-a mystery to me. And always the guilt of how I'd driven him away gnawed at my mind.

I watched his braid fall over his shoulder as he turned to signal the waiter for more tea, and was suddenly reminded of the golden-eyed stranger I'd met on the plane to Japan. Something about him reminded me of Ranma, and suddenly I figured out what had been bothering me about him.

The man on the plane, I realized, was a martial artist. A powerful one. Although he'd been dressed in rich clothes, and spoke politely, that fact couldn't be hidden. He was well versed in the way of the art. And where there was Ranma, and other martial artists, there was trouble.

Still, how could I explain it to Ranma? I mulled it over as the waiter poured Ranma steaming tea and replaced the white teapot with a fresh one. How could I say I had a bad feeling about a man I'd met on the plane, just because he knew karate or something? After all, this was Japan, where any man or woman out of five might be a martial artist.

I dismissed the idea for now, and concentrated on my goal.

"Dr. Tofu's clinic is still there, where it used to be," I said eventually.

Ranma sipped his freshly hot green tea and listened.

"There's another doctor there now, a Ms. Miyaki Setsune. She used to be Dr. Tofu's assistant, but she took over the clinic when he disappeared."

"And you wanna talk to her," Ranma guessed.

"It's a place to start," I said.

"Fine," Ranma replied, standing up. "I'm just gonna grab my taxi voucher from the front desk and we can go."

"How on earth did you get a taxi voucher?" I asked.

Ranma batted his eyelashes. "The receptionist likes me, remember?" he said, and disappeared.

I'd barely taken a sip of my green tea, when a man slid into the seat across from me and murmured, "What a coincidence. It must be fate."

I looked up into the amused golden eyes of the man I'd met on the plane.He was dressed just as well as last time, and his braid hung down into his lap when he sat.

"You!" I gasped. "What are you doing here?" All the thoughts I'd had about him ran through my mind, and I blushed.

"Just waiting for a friend," he said, "who never showed up. I was about to leave when I saw you. And your boyfriend."

"Um," I said, wordless as usual on that issue.

He bowed his head. "I'm Kalia." No last name, I noted.

"Akane Tendo," I said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Akane Tendo, again." He smiled at me. "How did meeting your relatives go?"

I shook my head. "I haven't seen them yet."

He laughed. "Putting it off, are you? Well, I can't entirely blame you. Not all my family is very sociable, either. But, I wouldn't put it off too long, if I was you."

I smiled. "It's just..I haven't seen them in a long time."

"And it just keeps getting longer," Kalia chided. "Well, I suppose I'd best be off. I live close by, so we might run into each other again."

I nodded again, and he slipped away.

Ranma showed up a couple of minutes later, waving his voucher. "Shall we go?" he asked.

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The two of us stepped out of the taxi and glanced around cautiously. Dr. Tofu's clinic was too close to our old dojo for my comfort, but it couldn't be helped. This was where anyone had last seen Dr. Tofu.

"Can't remember the number of times I showed up here with all sortsa complaints," Ranma murmured, glancing around. "Dr. Tofu was a good guy. Always tried to help me out."

"Don't talk about him in the past tense!" I hissed. "He's still alive!"

Ranma looked startled, then shamefaced. "Sorry, Akane. It's just…kinda creepy, you know?"

"Nonsense, Ranma," I said firmly, squashing my own internal worries determinedly. "Come on."

Inside, the waiting area had four or five other patients seated on plastic chairs, waiting their turn. They all turned to look at us when we walked in, and their gaze shifted up to Ranma. Then as one, they looked away, obviously having read the aura of slight menace that curled around him.

A pretty young lady with her curly red hair pulled back in a bun, dressed in a white coat, came out every so often to collect one of then, returning them to the waiting room eventually with prescriptions clutched in their hands.

Finally, only Ranma and I were left. She came up to us, and sized us up.

"Neither of you are ill," she said, cementing my opinion that she was definitely in Dr. Tofu's line of metaphysical doctoring. "How can I help you?"

"You're Dr. Setsune?" I asked.

She nodded and swiped away a strand of red hair from her face. I bowed politely.

"I'm Akane Tendo," I said, and would have gone on, but she recognized me.

"Ah! Tendo! You are…Dr. Tofu's sister-in-law, the one who lives in America."

"That's right," I said. "And this is Ranma Saotome." Her eyes widened.

"I remember you," she said. "You used to come in here quite often. And then that time you sent that little girl in here with her aura drained…" Ranma flushed at the reference to Ms. Hinako.

Dr. Setsune smiled. "Please, come in." She ushered us, not into the examining room, but the small living room beside that. The place looked different. It had a more feminine feel to it now.

"Please sit," she said. "I'll be back in a moment." She disappeared into a hallway. Ranma and I sat and used the opportunity to assess the situation.

"She seems nice," I said.

"Yeah," he said.

Dr. Setsune returned, carrying a loaded tray.

"How are you, Akane?" she asked, laying down the tray of tea cups and small red-bean paste buns. "Last I heard, you were studying in the United States."

"I'm still there," I replied. "I've finished my studies and I'm working. I'm visiting Japan for Nabiki's (that's my older sister, you remember her?) wedding."

I glared at Ranma, who was already on his third bun.

"That's wonderful!" Dr. Setsune exclaimed, pouring out tea for us. "Congratulations. Who is she marrying?"

"Kunou Tatewaki," I said. Her face went still, showing no expression. Then she said, "Kunou?"

"You know him?" I asked.

"I…know OF him," she said. "Not much, though. Have a bun, Akane." She handed me a cup of tea.

"Thank you." I munched my bun and quietly thought about how to broach the subject of Dr. Tofu but the problem was taken care of for me.

Ranma leaned forward, grey-blue eyes intent. "I haven't been back in Japan long, but I was wondering…what happened to Dr. Tofu?" he asked.

Dr. Setsune stiffened slightly, and flicked a quick glance at me, as though she thought I might be angry, or like she waiting for me to say something.

I stared into my teacup as though its contents absorbed me totally. Finally, the doctor looked at Ranma.

"Is that why you're here? To find Dr. Tofu?" she asked, worry clear in her green eyes.

"Well, we don't know what happened to him," I said, looking up finally.

"But didn't Kasumi…?" Dr. Setsune stopped, and said, "I suppose not." She bit her lip and appeared to think for a second.

"Dr. Tofu…he was a great boss, very patient, really helpful." She poured a cup of tea for herself, the pot shaking slightly. She sat it down carefully and brought up the cup of tea to allow the warm vapour to caress her face. "After he got married, he was really happy. Kasumi moved in here with him, and they were very happy. Then one night, it was getting quite late and I was finishing up my shift. I'd packed up everything and was putting on my coat, ready to go home, when a man appeared in the doorway. He said he wanted to see Dr. Tofu, and I said the clinic was closed, but then Dr. Tofu appeared."

Dr. Setsune paused. "He said- Oh, Miyaki, you know we've always got time for one more, and then he laughed, you know, how he used to, with his eyes? He knew I was tired, and he told me to go ahead. Then, the next morning, he was gone. Kasumi was…well, she's better now, anyway. The police looked everywhere."

"Did they suspect the late-night visitor?" I asked, wondering if this was our break.

"Of course," the doctor said. "I told them immediately, but they could find no trace of him. We couldn't even find his name in the records. Dr. Tofu would have recorded him automatically. But there was nothing."

I deflated, but Ranma asked, "Was there anything distinguishable about him? Anything you could use to mark him?"

"He was Japanese, but his Japanese had a strange accent, as though he'd lived abroad for a while. But it wasn't an accent I recognized." Dr. Setsune shook her pretty red head. "I'm sorry. I really don't know anything more. The police did everything they could."

"Yes, I know," I said. I set down my empty cup, and glanced at Ranma. He nodded. We stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality, Dr. Setsune. You were very helpful."

She smiled sadly and stood as well. "I wish I could have provided you with some sort of..what do the Americans call it?..Ah! Closure."

I said nothing. I'd only find closure if I found Dr. Tofu alive or could identify his dental records on a body.

"What now? Ranma asked when we were outside.

I sighed. "Let's go to the police station."  
Ranma held up a palm. "Hold on. We're close to your place. You know you can't avoid them forever."

I felt old anger rising up from somewhere inside me. Standing on the stoop of Dr. Tofu's clinic, seeing the familiar road outside, and the one familiar face, old instincts were beginning to rise up inside me.

Instead of yelling, I took a deep breath. And then I thought about it. I didn't want meeting my family to get in the way of looking for Dr. Tofu. BUT…Ranma was right. I had to do it sometime. Even Kalia, a stranger, had said so.

"You're right," I said.

Ranma did a doubletake. "What did you say?" he asked. "Did Akane Tendo just AGREE with me?"

I grinned at him. "Hey, when you're right, you're right. Enjoy it while it lasts."

I turned and strolled out onto the road. It was bright, so I pulled on my shades.

"The dojo, then," said Ranma, joining me and looking down the road apprehensively.

"You look nervous for someone who's idea this was in the first place," I mentioned.

"Hey, I was hopin' you'd come up with some great reason we didn't have to see them. Besides, have you thought of what your Dad's gonna say when he sees us together?"

"He'll immediately assume all sorts of things which will make life harder for us," I said.

"Don't worry, I have an idea."

"Oh yeah?" I pulled off my shades and looked up at him questioningly.

Ranma smirked. "I'll just tell him I'm married."

"What?" The shout was out before I could help it. "You can't tell him we're married!!"

Ranma gave me a quizzical look. "Akane, I didn't say 'we', I said 'I'. I'll tell him I'M married to some lovely gaijin chick I met in America."

I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat. What did I care? Wait! I did care. But Ranma didn't think I did, or was he trying to piss me off?

"Is that okay with you?" he asked. Something glinted in his eyes, but was gone before I could catch it.

"Sure," I croaked. "I…" I cleared my throat. "I'll tell him I have a boyfriend." Ranma frowned. "Yeah, yeah, you can be married, but if I got married without telling my family all hell would break loose. So, I'll just have a boyfriend."

"And what's his name?"

Golden eyes popped into my mind. "Kalia," I said.

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R/A shippers, don't worry! Ranma and Akane, together forever! Anyway, do click and review. Cheers!


	6. No Place like Kunou's home

**A/N**: Sorry I haven't written in so long, I've just been _stuck. _You know that bit in the story where you know what happenes BEFORE that bit, and AFTER that bit, but not what happens during it? Well, this was one of those- the in-between bit which has to be written if you plan to get the story out in a chronological order. I plan to work some more on this and Tokens, switching as the mood hits me.

**DISCLAIMER**:Most of these characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, creator of Ranma 1/2.

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_Who the hell is Kalia?_ I wondered, strolling next to Akane along the path from Dr. Tofu's clinic to the Tendo dojo. It brought back a lot of memories- sixteen year old Akane confessing her crush on Dr. Tofu to me, her long hair hiding her downturned face; short-haired Akane giving my girl form a piggy-back ride, after I'd sprained a leg; Me carrying Akane on my back after she'd fainted outside Dr Tofu's office one day when she'd been feverish; the two of us, just talking and walking home from school, in those few precious minutes when Shampoo and Ukyou and the other crazies were busy with other things.

I watched the present day Akane, with her short hair, long legs and confident walk. Her colorful wraparound skirt and clogs made her look even taller. She looked around, studying the things that had changed. A new park here, a sushi stand there. Something painful moved in my chest, and I couldn't help feeling slightly nostalgic for those days gone by.

"Feels strange, doesn't it?" she commented suddenly.

"Yeah," I shrugged, unable to explain what I was feeling. "Bound to happen. Haven't been back in a while, so…"

Akane sent a sideways glance at me, and said nothing further. I wondered if Kalia was someone she knew back in America. Did he work with her? Mulling over these questions, I nearly didn't realize we'd arrived at the dojo. It looked almost like it always had. We walked through the gateway, and into the well-swept yard. The koi pond glittered at the edge of my vision. Akane and I looked at each other.

"You first," I said cheerfully.

Akane took a deep breath. "Hey, at least I was invited." With that parting shot, she went up the three steps and rang the bell. We waited. My heart, at least, was thundering loudly, and Akane looked as though she wanted to bite her nails.

After a minute, we heard footsteps approaching, and the door slid open. Mr. Tendo, dressed in a gi, stood in the doorway blinking against the light. He too, looked almost the same, except there were more streaks of grey in his long loose hair.

"Hello…ah…" He paused. He looked at Akane, and gasped, a huge smile forming on his face. "Akane! You're home!" She smiled and stepped into his arms. "How did you…?"

And then he saw me. He froze halfway through hugging Akane and took a step around her. His skin turned a shade of pale. "Ranma Saotome?" He looked me up and down, noting the greater height of my frame.

I raised a hand carelessly, the other hand in my pocket. "Hi, Mr. Tendo. Long time, no see."

Soun Tendo's face began to turn red. "How dare you darken my door after all these years, Ranma?"

"Daddy!" Akane interrupted, a cheery smile on her face. "He's my GUEST. Don't be so rude. C'mon, can we come inside? Where is everybody?" Chattering, she pushed him backwards until we were well inside.

Mr. Tendo looked from Akane to me, and back again, speechless. Finally, he found his tongue. "You two…came TOGETHER? How…?"

"Oh, Dad, it's the most amazing thing," Akane chirped, walking into the living room and dropping her bag on the low table. "Ranma's boss is our client. Believe me, we were really surprised to see each other after all these years, but…"

"But he left you!" Mr. Tendo was never one to mince words.

Akane waved all that away. "That's all water under the bridge now. And then I found out that Nabiki is getting married!" How deftly she changed topics. It wouldn't have worked with anyone but Mr. Tendo.

It succeeded in distracting her father for a moment, and he turned to her with a smile. "Yes, isn't it wonderful? I'd nearly given up hope that Nabiki would ever get married, let me tell you."

"But the wedding is only a month away, Dad," Akane protested. "How can you plan it in such a short time?"

"Oh, Nabiki will take care of everything," her father reassured her vaguely, as though he weren't quite sure himself. "And Kunou's paying for everything she wants."

Akane lost her smile at the mention of his name. "Anyway," she continued more sombrely. "I invited Ranma to attend the wedding. My boyfriend couldn't make it."

"You have a boyfriend?" Mr. Tendo looked even more delighted. "Who is he? What does he do? Does he practice the arts?"

"Yes, he does," Akane replied, sidestepping the other questions neatly by answering only the last. "His name is Kalia."

"Why isn't he here instead of…_him_?" Mr. Tendo nodded at me disapprovingly.

"Just lucky, I guess," I drawled. Mr. Tendo glared at me. So did Akane.

"Kalia was away on business when I got the invitation, and I expect him to be gone for a while. _Luckily_," she glanced at me, "Ranma was free."

"Yeah, luckily," I echoed sarcastically. "My girlfriend is away on business as well."

"YOU? You have a girlfriend?" Mr Tendo demanded. He paused, and an odd look crossed his face."The world really has moved on. Well, I suppose as Akane's guest at least you are welcome, and for old times' sake. Please wait here, both of you. I've just made some tea."

We'd just had tea with Dr. Tofu's assistant, but it would have been rude to refuse.

"I'll get it, Daddy," Akane exclaimed, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Mr. Tendo and I sat down at the table, uncomfortable in the ensuing silence. I folded my legs and wondered what to say.

"You still practice the arts, I see," he observed after a moment.

"Yes, I do."

"Heard from your father?" he asked.

"No," I said shortly.

Soun grunted. "Well, you're welcome to stay here until the wedding…"

"Sorry, Dad, we've taken rooms at a hotel close by," Akane interjected, entering the room loaded with a tray of tea cups and cookies.

"You won't stay with your father?" Soun queried sadly.

"Now, Dad, you know as well as I do that I had no idea what was going on here when we landed," Akane exclaimed sweetly. "Besides, the rooms are a business expense, so we don't have to pay for them. If you like we can move in here a little closer to the date of the wedding."

"Yes, that would be nice," he conceded, sighing. "It's quite lonely here nowadays."

"But you're teaching students?" I prodded.

Mr. Tendo brightened at that, and sat straighter. "Yes! I have six new pupils who are learning the art from me. It's not much, but it's a start."

"That's great, Mr. Tendo," I remarked, genuinely glad for him. If only he'd stuck with Akane's training when she was a teenager, but well, ya can't have everything.

The doorbell chimed, and Akane rose to get the door. I heard her slide the door open, and then a squeal, another one, womanly voices in the hallway.

"Look, it's Nabiki!" Akane came into the tearoom, followed by Nabiki Tendo.

I took an involuntary breath, trying to see what the years had made of Nabiki. She looked sharp, was the first thought that crossed my mind. Then a whole host of impressions crossed my mind- from the high gloss of her brown hair, to the deep black of her well-fitted suit, the 'o' of surprise her mouth made when she saw me, the quick recovery in the glint of her smile, and the tilt of her neck.

Then she was coming towards me, arms slightly spread in a welcoming gesture. "Ranma! What a surprise! A delightful surprise! How are you?" She looked as though she was about to hug me. I casually moved into the hug, embraced her briefly, and stepped back. She looked slightly startled, as though she'd been trying to bait me, and it hadn't worked.

Well, if she expected me to be the old Ranma, shy and skittish, she had another think coming.

I smiled at her. "Hello, Nabiki, it's been a long time. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding."

"Thank you," Nabiki grinned. "Unbelievable, huh? And to Kunou of all people."

Akane frowned. Nabiki caught it, and grabbed Akane's hand. "I know he was awful when we were younger, Akane, but he's changed. Really."

"If you say so, Nabiki," Akane demurred. "How's Kasumi?"

"She's at Kunou's place right now," Nabiki answered. "She loves it there. Why don't you two come over right now? She'd love to see you."

Akane sent a quick look to Mr. Tendo. "Is that all right, Dad?"

"Of course, Akane, go ahead, and…er…take Ranma with you."

I snorted under my breath. Guess Mr. Tendo didn't want me hanging around more than necessary. That was all right. Standing under the Tendo roof was bringing back way too many memories for me.

Nabiki had left her sleek pearl Mercedes Benz idling at the curb. A chauffeur dressed in sharply pressed uniform held open the back door, allowing Nabiki and Akane to slide in. Akane murmured a 'thank you'. Nabiki didn't bother, I noticed. I squeezed in with them. The car was spacious, and comfortable.

"Company car," Nabiki explained. The chauffeur slid behind the wheel, and released the parking brake. "Home, Masao," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," the chauffeur replied quietly.

"Dad seems happy, if kind of lonely," Akane ventured.

Nabiki shrugged. "Oh, I've asked Dad to move in with me many times, but he's quite stubborn about staying on at the old place. Say's he'll stay there until he's trained a real successor." She gave me a sidelong glance from her sloe-shaped eyes. "You still practice the arts, Ranma?"

I realized she was baiting me and ignored her question.

"What do you do now, Nabiki?" I asked over the smooth purr of the engine.

Nabiki laughed. "I play at being the CEO for Kuno's company," she replied, stroking the smooth scarlet lacquer finish on her nails. "The last time Akane was here,

I was the financial manager for Tokyo 324."

"That was just a few years ago," Akane interrupted, surprised.

"That's right," Nabiki said. "Then I met Kuno again at one of those corporate parties. I was bored out of my mind, and there he was. I hadn't seen him in so long, and…"Here she glanced at Akane. "I didn't have the best memories of him, of course."

"He tried to…!" Akane burst out.

"I know," Nabiki soothed. "He was…sick then. He's been in therapy for a while. Not anymore of course. He's much better now, really, Akane." She glanced at me, trying to gauge how much I knew of the time Kunou had tried to blackmail Akane and Nabiki, the main reason I'd left Nerima for eight years. Akane had told me everything, but Nabiki didn't know that.

"Listen, Akane, just wait till you meet him," Nabiki continued. Akane still looked as though she had reservations. Smart girl.

"I guess we'll see," she said doubtfully.

By now, we were nearly at the Kuno mansion. The car drove up to the wrought iron gates, and was buzzed through. I remembered something.

"What about Kodachi?" I asked. "What's she up to?"

Nabiki's head swung around. "Kodachi? Why, she…"

"Oh, look! It's Kasumi!" In her excitement, Akane leaned forward, blocking my view of Nabiki. She was looking through the windshield. I turned to see, and there was Kasumi, slightly older, but not noticeably different. Her long brown hair still hung neatly down her back, and she wore a pretty dark blue dress. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she watched the car as it progressed up the drive to halt in front of the marble stairs that led up to huge walnut double doors.

Nabiki opened her door and stepped neatly out of the car, allowing Akane to stumble out of the car in her rush to greet her older sister. I followed more slowly.

"Akane!" Kasumi greeted her with a smile. Akane hugged her sister. Her added inches brought her closer to Kasumi's height, something that didn't escape Kasumi's notice. She held Akane's upper arms, examining her. "You've grown, Akane!"

"I know, isn't it great?" Grinning at her older sister, Akane seemed almost like a kid again, not someone who'd fought against ninjas beside me.

I closed the door of the sedan, and even though I did it quietly, Kasumi turned to look at me. "Ranma," she said quietly. "You're back."

She released Akane, and walked toward me. "Hiya, Kasumi," I responded a trifle nervously. I towered over her now, but if she frowned at me, I didn't think I could take it. I'd never had a beef with Kasumi, and had remembered her motherliness with fond regret over the years. Miraculously, she smiled instead.

"You've grown so much. I _knew_ you'd come back one day," she exclaimed. "I told Tofu…" She faltered.

Nabiki slipped forward. "Kasumi, Akane and Ranma are visiting for the wedding. I have to run for a meeting, but wouldn't you like to show them the house?"

"Yes! Of course, Nabiki-chan." Kasumi clasped her hands together, smiling in anticipation. "You go ahead, I'll take them in."

"Thanks. See you guys!" With a wave Nabiki slipped back into the car, and Kasumi pulled me forward.

"Come on, now, you must come inside. You too, Akane."

Kasumi took us on a tour through the house, which admittedly was large and well furnished. Every so often, I'd look around in a room and remember how Kunou had booby-trapped it. I covertly checked around for levers and tripwires, but there were none that I could see.

Finally, we were in the kitchen, still Kasumi's domain. "This is my favourite part of the house," she confided in us.

"You've got everything here," Akane said admiringly, looking around at the gleaming counters and ultra-modern appliances.

Kasumi smiled. "Yes, it's quite lovely, isn't it? I felt a bit odd, at first. Nabiki won't allow me to do any housework. All I can do is cook. She equipped me with a wonderful kitchen. The maids say all the implements are so up-to-date!"

Akane touched a small white box. "An electric dish dryer? That's so cool, Kasumi."

Kasumi led us into the parlour, where she seated us on low futons around a black ebony tepoy. "Let me bring you some tea."

"Oh, no, we already had teaat home,Kasumi," Akane refused gently. "Please don't bother."

"It's no bother, Akane," Kasumi replied, getting up. "Besides, I've just made some minced meat buns. I remember Ranma used to love those."

She disappeared into the kitchen and I looked at Akane. "She's right. I did love them."

Akane groaned. "I'm still stuffed from Dr. Setsune's red bean buns."

"Just sip your tea," I whispered. "And tell Kasumi you're dieting."

Akane whacked me. "I can't tell her that!" she hissed. "She'd be insulted!"

"Well, then, I guess you shouldn't have pigged out on the redbean buns, huh?" I proclaimed cheerfully.

Akane raised her hand to whack me again, but Kasumi reappeared with a tea try. She quickly lowered her arm.

"It's wonderful that you were able to make it for Nabiki's wedding, Akane," Kasumi laid out the buns and poured tea for us. "We thought the invitation might not get to you until next month. We sent it out rather late, I'm afraid."

"Yes, I was shocked when I found out that Nabiki was getting married." Akane sipped her tea, and looked questioningly at Kasumi, who blushed.

"Well, Nabiki wanted very fancy invitations, you see, and they took quite a long time to do, so…"

"I see," Akane sipped her tea again, and continued to catch up on news with her sister, very carefully not mentioning Dr. Tofu. I looked around, trying to be inconspicuous. I felt uncomfortable in Kunou's house. It wasn't a place with a lot of pleasant memories for me. I looked out through the gap in the wooden doors to the pond outside, and shuddered.

Yes, I had vivid memories of chasing Midorigame, Kodachi's pet alligator, around in that pond.

"Of course, Nabiki and Kunou won't get married where Tofu and I did," Kasumi continued blithely. Akane and I froze. Kasumi noticed. "Oh! Don't look so scared, you two. I'm perfectly all right talking about Tofu."

"R…Really, Kasumi?" Akane asked nervously.

"Of course, Akane!" Kasumi smiled brightly and patted Akane's knee. "He's gone. I've had to accept that. I'm still Mrs. Tofu, but as a widow I…"

"A _widow_?" Akane squeaked. I choked on my second bun. Since when was Dr. Tofu considered dead?

Kasumi's eyes widened. "Well, of course, Akane. Tofu's been missing for years now. Of course he's dead. Nabiki agrees as well. We considered every possibility. The police searched everywhere, followed every lead, and came up with nothing."

"What do you think happened to him?" Akane had the look of someone who was eyeing a plate they knew was too hot to touch.

"Well, I'd gone to bed that night already. So I was fast asleep throughout the whole thing. From what his assistant told the police, Tofu had a mysterious visitor that night, who required tending. Miyaki- his assistant- went home. We all think the man killed Tofu."

I blinked. "But…er…you've never found his body?"

"You never called me home for a funeral," Akane wondered softly.

Kasumi shrugged. "It was all very quick, once he was declared dead. " She looked into her teacup, and then looked up. "And, I never told you this, but…I suspect he was cheating on me."

"_Dr._ _Tofu_?" If Akane's voice had gone any higher, it would have passed out of the range of human hearing. "That's impossible!"

"Yes, don't ask me how I found out," Kasumi said. "Turns out he was visiting this…place…on the side. Called the Gilded Lily, or some such name." She gave a brave little shrug. "Well, it's all over with now. I'm happy, really."

"Really?" I asked, studiously avoiding Akane's eye.

She smiled brightly. "Of course, Ranma. I think of it as life after death."

"Huh?"

"Now that he's dead, I have a life."

Akane clapped a hand to her mouth, as though a madly inappropriate giggle was about to escape. I had a feeling that was the case. I felt the same feeling rising up within me. Was this _Kasumi_? Something was really warped here. Sounded like she was still in shock, or something.

"Well, uh…that's too bad, Kasumi." Akane finished her cup of tea, and looked at me. "Ranma and I have to run some errands for my boss. I managed to fly in on my company's expense but I do have to finish a job for them before the wedding starts."

"Are you still working for the export business, Akane?" Kasumi inquired.

"Yes, absolutely," Akane replied with a straight face. She rose. "C'mon, Ranma let's go."

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**A/N:** Looking for another chapter? Well, I'm looking for another review. Which do you think takes longer to write? ;) Cheers!


	7. The Gilded Lily

**A/N**: **Firstly**, thanks to everyone who posted a review. If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't get off my ass and write another chapter, even if I have the story plotted out. I'm sleepy, so I thought I'd post this before going to bed. Do appreciate that I sat up 2 hrs past my bedtime finishing this chapter.

**Secondly,** I've tried this before, posted this little blurb (below), but I thought I'd do it again, just in case anyone knows which story this is. If you know this story, the name, or website where I can find it, please **PLEASE** e–mail me, or write it in a review or something. I've been looking for over a year now.

_Ranma danced with Akane, leading her slowly_ down the hall toward her doom. Around them, other couples flashed by in a whirl of bright coloured silks and gay laughter. The haunting music played on, and Akane was caught in his eyes.

"So you want me to save you?" he asked, amusement brightening his grey eyes, his gaze trained on her face as he whirled her past the musicians. Akane could hardly bear the unholy delight she saw in his face. She averted her glance and mentally sifted through her choices again. There were too few- only two, actually. She could either watch as her soul faded away in a matter of days, or she could sell it to the highest bidder, and when she died, the demons would pull her to hell...or she could pay Ranma's price and keep her soul, what there was of it. And still she might have chosen hell, if she didn't need her soul to make the next transaction. Angels didn't deal with the soulless. It was her passport of entry. Even if she could retain her soul for a temporary period, it would be enough. But Balial wouldn't wait.

"Dearest lady Akane," Ranma mocked, "Your silence is most becoming, but really...inappropriate. Listen, wench! If you want to be saved, you've to decide now. In a few days, it will be impossible, even for one such as me. Whether I win or not, you'll lose."

Akane considered. The Eternal Champion...the knight destined to defend...yet what previous champions had done for free, now the Saotome clan charged for. Of course, it had brought them riches.

Lord Saotome, Knight of the Black, made his eyes unreadable. Even in this realm, what went around came around back to you, if you were patient. Akane had slipped through his hands once but she was so very near again, nothing could spoil it. She'd willingly give herself into his hands, and she would never be free again. He squelched a smile at the thought.

Okay, Chapter 7 is below.

**DISCLAIMER**: Ranma & co. don't belong to me.

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Ranma and I walked away from Kunou's mansion, the gravel from the wide drive crunching quickly under our feet as we nearly ran towards the gates. Well, I did, anyway. Ranma's stride was long enough that he seemed to stroll while I trotted. We buzzed ourselves out through the tall iron gates without speaking to each other. I waited until we were out of hearing distance of any hidden speakers.

"What the hell is going on?" I burst out indignantly, startling a few pigeons nearby into flight. "Kasumi's lost it, Ranma."

Ranma looked deep in thought. "Things sure have changed since I left Nerima."

I groaned in agreement.

"And not for the better," he murmured, frowning.

Still caught up in my own worries, I nodded.

He turned to look up at the Kunou house, which loomed a distance from us. I in my turn was sidetracked from my problems by his obvious distraction. Ranma was thinking hard about something. That in itself was such a rare thing to see that I could only wonder what was going on in his head. Ranma was a man of action, someone who was most comfortable when he was in a fight. Or at least, that's the way it used to be.

"What are you thinking?" I blurted out, and then flushed when those thoughtful grey eyes turned my way. He reached out and brushed a strand of grass from my cheek. The brush of his fingers startled me, and I could feel a blush forcing its way over my face. I looked away.

"You still wanna find Dr. Tofu?" Ranma cocked his head at me inquiringly. "I mean, it sounds like he's dead."

"He's not dead!" I denied, turning back to him.

"Cos' you've been dreaming about him? People dream about dead people, y'know," Ranma pointed out patiently. "Doesn't make him any more alive."

"I'm supposed to find him," I repeated, wondering where this conviction was coming from. "I don't know where the hell he is, or what he's doing, but I know he's alive, and I'm supposed to bring him home!"

"Doesn't sound like Kasumi wants him to come home." Ranma crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the sky, avoiding my eyes.

I stopped. "Well, that's just because she thinks he was cheating on her. I mean, c'mon, this is Dr. Tofu! Remember? Dr. Fog-my-glasses-when-I-see-Kasumi Tofu? He's never looked at anyone else."

Ranma's gaze returned to me, musing on this. "I guess that's true. Ain't no way I can really see Dr. Tofu cheating on Kasumi."

"Let's check out that place, what was it called?"

"The Gilded Lily?" Ranma recalled. "Den of iniquity, and bordello of sin?"

"Uh, yeah, that place."

Ranma got a disturbing gleam in his eyes. "It's going to be easier for a man to get in and ask questions. Why don't you go back to the hotel? I'll check out the place for you."

I punched him in the arm. "Pervert! I'm going with you."

"It's exactly what I imagined a bordello would be like," I stared up at the large, white building that fit neatly between a fishing store and a sushi eatery. It was a two storey structure, with marble stairs leading up to an entrance with double doors standing open. All I could really see of the second story was a covered railed balcony.

Ranma glanced up and down the street. We were in one of the more rundown areas of Tokyo harbour, a place filled with warehouses and fisheries. A gang of youths were playing hackeysack in front of a warehouse. They looked a little rough, as though they'd grown up on the wrong side of the track. Further up the street, groups of men talked in corners or sat at rickety tables smoking cigarettes, watching us from beneath half-closed eyes.

I suppressed a shudder, and glanced back up at the Gilded Lily.

Two women leaned against the rails of the second storey balcony, examining us with languid interest. Their faces were softly painted with rice powder and they wore bright kimonos. One of them fanned her face gently with her fan, and smiled down at me. I blushed. The other one was staring avidly at Ranma, running her eyes over the breadth of his shoulders and the length of his legs.

"That woman is checking you out," I huffed indignantly.

Ranma grinned. "If it makes you feel any better, the other one is checking YOU out."

I flushed, and blustered, "Nonsense! Let's get this over with."

"Are you sure about this, Akane?" Ranma asked, disapproval strong in his voice as he assessed the place. "This is starting to seem less and less like a good idea."

"Uh, of course it is, Ranma!" I didn't want him to change his mind about taking me back to the hotel.

"In that case, let's get this over with." Ranma grasped my arm and tugged me along. I shook him off and increased my speed, so that I wouldn't look reluctant.

Inside, a young girl who couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen greeted us. She was dressed very simply, in an off-white kimono, her hair tied loosely behind her back.

"Greetings," she sang sweetly, bowing so low I could see the black ebony hairpin that held her bun together.

"We would like to see the madame," Ranma explained.

"Please, come this way," she replied, smiling.

She led us silently into a parlour, and bid us to sit. We did so, perching carefully on stuffed Victorian style chairs. She served us tea, her movements graceful and elegant.

"Madame will be with you shortly," She whispered.

"Thank you," Ranma said. The girl bowed again, and exited the room. We waited in silence for a few minutes.

A portly woman dressed in a bright green and yellow silk kimono bustled in, her face wreathed in smiles. Her face was also painted with rice powder, and her lips were rouged bright red, the outline well within her actual lipline, making her lips seem like a tiny rosebud.

"Welcome to the Gilded Lily," she said to Ranma, and bowed. We stood, bowed in return, and sat again.

"I am Madame Segawa," she introduced herself. She clapped her hands. "Aya! More tea for our guests!"

"We're fine, thank you," Ranma demurred politely.

"Now," Madame Segawa clasped her hands before her. "How can I help you?"

"Well, we…" Ranma glanced at me, and the madame smiled.

"Ah, I understand," she purred in understanding. "You wish to join our family?" She asked me.

I jumped out of my seat. "What? No!"

Ranma burst out laughing.

"It's a comfortable job, good pay," she continued persuasively, eyeing me up and down as though I was on sale and she was trying to get a bargain. "Hmm, good figure, good skin. Your hair is too short, but we can do something with that."

"That's not why we're here," Ranma explained, stifling his laughter. I glared at him for being amused. "Akane's…not for sale."

"We're looking for someone," he clarified. "A friend of ours, who was last seen here."

Madame Segawa frowned. "There's no one here," she said automatically.

Ranma and I exchanged a glance.

I pulled out a small photo of Tofu's that I had found in our family album. "This is him," I said, hoping against hope. _Please let her recognize him_, I thought.

Madame Segawa stared at the picture with no sign of recognition. "I have never seen him," she denied flatly. "Now, if you have no business with me, please leave. Aya!" She clapped her hands, and the teenaged usher reappeared at the door. "Show these people out. They are done here."  
Ranma shrugged. I cast an annoyed glance at him and at Madame Segawa, who was glaring at me, and I left the room, Ranma behind me. Aya walked ahead of us, looking back to make sure we were right behind her. At the door, she paused and stood silently, waiting for us to leave.

_This can't be _it, I told myself. _Someone here has to know something_!

In a last ditch effort, I pulled out the photo again and waved it in front of Aya's face. "Do you know him?" I demanded.

She pushed an errant lock of hair out of her face, and stared at the photo. "Dr. Tofu!"

"Yes!" I crowed, my heart quickening with triumph. "Where is he? What happened to…?"

Aya cast a quick glance back in the direction we had come from, and shook her head. "No, I don't know anything!" She retreated from us and hurried away. I wanted to run after her, but just then a very large man, obviously the bouncer for Madame Segawa, began to walk toward us, his brows lowered threateningly.

Ranma raised an eyebrow at him, staring coolly, as though nothing on earth was going to make him move. The bouncer scowled back, and began to walk faster. I tugged at Ranma's arm.

"Getting into a fight here is not going to help us find Dr. Tofu," I persuaded. "Let's leave."

Ranma and the bouncer exchanged another glare, then finally Ranma shrugged and turned away.

"All right, Akane, let's go."

Outside, we walked away from the building. I felt frustrated by our lack of knowledge. Aya knew something, I could tell. She'd recognized Dr. Tofu, and I told Ranma as much.

"If only I could talk to her for a few minutes…" I mumbled.

"You shoulda let me talk to the bouncer," Ranma muttered, still glancing back in the direction of the bordello.

I snorted. "Talk! Yeah, that would have been useful. You just wanted to punch the answers out of him. It would have gotten way too loud."

Ranma shrugged. "Well, if you want answers…"

"The only way to get in there is to sell yourself," I mused. "Too bad, you should have sold me when you had the chance."

I stopped, struck by the obvious solution, and turned slowly to look at Ranma, who suddenly got a worried look on his face.

"Uh uh, Akane, whatever you're thinking, it's a bad idea." Palms up, shaking his head.

"Madame Segawa has seen us already, but Ranko could get in there!"

"Akane, NO."

"C'mon, Ranma, we finally have a lead!" I nearly jumped up and down in my excitement.

Ranma didn't reply, but began to walk very fast toward the harbour. He walked so fast I had to trot behind him again. I finally caught up to him at the pier front, where he stopped to stare moodily into the watery depths.

"What's the problem?" I asked. "It's not like you're gonna be trapped in there or anything. I mean…"

"I was…once."

"Huh?"

Ranma stared straight ahead then, his expression unreadable.

"Remember Toshi Yoro?" His voice was even.

"Toshi…uh, yeah…" In China, Ranma and I had called on an old acquaintance of mine, Mr. Yoro. Unknown to me, Mr Yoro was on familiar terms with Ranma. His son had tried to kidnap Ranma. Or something. I'd never heard the full story, Looks like I was about to hear it now.

"I was doing recon for a job, had to dress like a girl for it. I was picked cos' of my curse, y'know." Ranma continue to look straight ahead. I might have thought he didn't even know I was there, if he hadn't been talking to me.

"What happened?" Though I could sort of guess.

"We were trying to bust up a prostitution ring of teenage girls. Toshi Yoro was a suspected pimp. I was the bait, and I went in all confident. It never occurred to me that I could get trapped too. He used the same drug on me that he used on other girls, and…it made me really weak. I couldn't…He mauled me, and…If he hadn't wanted to sell me as a virgin, he would have…" Ranma looked away, only the tense line of his jaw now visible to me.

I shuddered in sympathy. It must have been awful to be trapped like that.

"But he didn't," I prompted, steeling myself against showing it.

"No, he sold me to the brothel, and luckily, by the time my first 'customer' showed up, I had fought clear of the drug enough to smack the hell out of him."

"…"

"But I never found Toshi. He's the one I wanted to destroy. For seeing me like that. Weak. But I lost track of him. He caught wind of our operation and escaped. That's why I was so pissed off to see his old man in Shanghai."

I paused for a second, and shrugged. "Well, it happens."

Ranma turned a baffled stare at me."Huh?"

I placed my hand on his shoulder and forced a smile at him. "You don't think you're the first or only person to be used as bait who wasn't rescued in time, do you?"

Ranma frowned. "No, but I was supposed to rescue myself! I don't depend on other people!"

"Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans," I half-sang. "Anyway, Toshi's in jail now."

Ranma sent me an irritated look. "It's worse for a guy."

"What, being vulnerable?" I wanted to know. "Geez, you're as sexist as ever, Saotome."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"It's a matter of pride for you. You just can't bear to lose to a guy, isn't that right?"

"That's right!"

I shook my head mock-sadly. "And now you're about to lose to a woman. Is that any better?"

Ranma's eyes glinted. "That old lady back at the bordello, you mean?"

I nodded.

Ranm opened his mouth, paused and looked at me. "Reverse psychology. Nice. You still trying to get me in to that bordello to find out about Dr. Tofu?"

I shrugged. "In case you want to prove something…"

Ranma began to laugh. "Here I confess my tortured memories to you, and you turn around and use 'em to push your own agenda. Who'da thought you'd turn out such a schemer, Tendo? Have you been learning from Nabiki?"

I flushed, caught out. "Nooo, I mean…look, like I said, you're not the only person who's ever had a plan go wrong."

"Oh yeah?" Ranma folded his arms and cocked an eyebrow at me. "You speak from experience, I suppose?"

"I'll tell you later. This isn't the best time for it. Now are you going in or not?"

"When you put it like that…"

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**Click and review**! Especially if you know where the above blurb comes from…:)


	8. Midnight

A/N: Such a corny title, I know. :D I feel like a horrible writer, cos' I don't reply to reviews very much lately. I really want to, and I treasure each and every review, but I usually end up sending out chapters at 3 in the morning, when I'm too sleepy to do anything but post a chapter and head to bed. So, please keep the reviews coming, I DO DO appreciate them!

By the way, no one knows where the excerpt in the previous chapter came from. I checked out all links people sent me, but no luck. Maybe I wrote it in my sleep. :)

**Warning: This chapter contains sex, crude language etc.**

DISCLAIMER: Ranma and co. don't belong to me, but to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 8: Midnight Massage

The Plan…

Infiltrate.

Seduce.

Deceive.

Above all, keep your primary objective in mind.

All this ran through my head as I stared down at Akane as we stood on the waterfront. None of it showed on my face.

"So...you don't think Ranko going into the Gilded Lily about...oh, 30 minutes after we did would look suspicious?" I wanted to know.

"Um..." Akane pinkened. "When you put it that way..."

I smirked. I loved getting one over my ex-fiancee, especially when it got her all flustered like that. She was so sickeningly self-righteous, so convinced she knew what was right that she just charged ahead in her bull-headed fashion, without stopping to ask if I had a thought or two on current events.

_All right_, I told myself. _Time to play hardball._

We postphoned our information gathering until the next day. It had started raining too, so we took a cab back to our hotel for the night.

The cab streaked through the wet streets of Tokyo, and I stared out my window at the high-rise buildings and glittering city lights we passed. Akane sat close to the other window, her attention turned to the passing view as well. Once again I mulled over my certainty that she was going to try and get rid of me. Not now, but sometime soon. I could see it in her eyes sometimes, when she looked at me. She thought of me as part of the problem, I'd realized, not as part of the solution.

And that angered me. It made me feel like I didn't quite measure up to her standards of 'knight in shining armour'. Me, Ranma Saotome, savior of defenseless young women and slayer of demi-gods. The idea made me feel peculiarly restless.

Deep in thought, I shifted in my seat, and Akane looked at me, but I'd already averted my eyes. Damned if she'd catch _me_ looking at her!

Follow the plan, I told myself.

The night clerk, a young woman with short hair and clear brown eyes, looked up as we entered the hotel lobby. "Mr. Saotome?" she beckoned to me.

"Yes?" I left Akane and approached the reception desk.

"There are two messages for you," she said, handing me a folded piece of paper.

"Thanks." I took it from her and scanned the note briefly. Hmm. Walking back to Akane, I surreptitiously pulled out a tiny bottle and sprayed the note, rendering the wording illegible. Needless to say, the bottle did not contain aftershave.

Akane looked curious about the note, but I didn't offer to enlighten her.

"Shall we go up?" I extended an arm politely in the direction of the elevators.

"People know you're here?" Akane questioned as we walked.

I debated how much to tell her. She'd clam up if I gave her no info whatsoever. "A friend of mine is looking for info about Dr. Tofu. No luck yet."

"You have someone else looking for Dr. Tofu?" Akane stopped and stared wide-eyed at me.

I hoped she wasn't going to throw a fit."Yeah, thought it'd be good to try something different, you know?" I shrugged.

Akane grabbed my arm. "Ranma, that's a great idea! I hope your friend finds something."

I was surprised. I didn't think Akane would be very open to getting help, but she seemed almost relieved. It occurred to me that this quest for Dr. Tofu wasn't something that someone had assigned her. Her subconscious had come up with it all by itself.

"We should plan what to do next," I stated calmly. "Do you want to come up to my room?"

Akane stared at me suspiciously, and took the bait. "No, let's go to my room."

I suppressed a smile and took her arm. Oh, so easy.

As we walked to the elevator, I pressed a spot beside her tricep gently, a pressure point that would trigger in about forty-five minutes.

In the meantime, I considered the messages I had received as the elevator climbed the floors, pondering my reply.

Forty-three minutes. The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to Akane's floor. Her room was exactly like mine. A suitcase stood in the corner, and her indoor slippers were laid out neatly next to the entrance. A sofa sat close to the entrance in the designated living area, with a coffee table and matching table lamps. The room had the requisite 32 inch black TV set, and assorted dressers, but what dominated the room was the queensize bed beyond the living area. A door led off to the bathroom, and a set of closet doors were visible as well.

I decided to forestall our planning for a bit.

Forty minutes. "It's supper time," I announced with glee and let myself fall backward onto the soft quilted covers of the white double bed. "Let's get room service! I'm starving."

Akane laughed. "You sound like a little kid, Ranma!"

"Hey, play nice," I admonished, and reached out and chucked her under the chin. She blushed but I pretended not to notice. Did I mention I love seeing her flustered? "No matter how many hotels or dives I stay at, I love room service." I sat up, and let concern show on my face. "But, this is your room. I don't want to charge it to your account. I'll just go down to my room, really it's fine. We can meet up later."

"Nonono," Akane hastened to reassure me. "Please, it's on me. C'mon, it's on my company expense anyway. What would you like to eat?" She reached over to pick up the room menu.

I squashed a dirty retort to that and watched as she sat down next to me and began mulling over the choices. I peered over her shoulder, letting my shoulder brush against her back, as I read the interesting ones out loud. "Shrimp yakisoba, curry rice, yumm...red bean paste buns, I'm definitely getting those."

Thirty-five minutes. Abruptly, I moved away, letting Akane feel the loss of my warmth. I stood and moved to the sofa, where I switched on the TV.

"Mm, I'll get the pork-flavoured ramen, a plate of the buns, and some sake. I haven't had that since I left Japan." I turned my head and gave Akane my best blue-eyed look. "Please."

Thirty minutes. She swallowed. "Uh, sure. " She turned away and began to dial, and I smiled to myself as I switched to a channel showing a dubbed version of Teen Wolf.

Twenty-five minutes. As Akane talked to the kitchen, I pulled out my Blackberry and began to browse the web.

"What are you doing?" Akane asked after she hung up. I didn't reply, and she came over to join me on the sofa.

"I'm checking to see what trade routes go out from Tokyo Harbour."

"Trade routes," Akane questioned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing, just a feeling I have," I replied, still intent on the screen. "I just think it's too much of a coincidence how close to the harbour the Gilded Lily is."

"You…think someone took Dr. Tofu aboard a ship?" Akane looked shocked. "Where would they take him?"

I shrugged. "Like I said, it's just a possibility. Until I talk to Madama Segawa's girls, we're not gonna know much more."

Twenty minutes. There was a discreet knock at the door. Akane rose and checked the eyehole, then opened the door to admit a maid carting in a table with a steaming tray on it. Abruptly, my stomach rumbled.

The maid laid out the various dishes, bowed and left us to eat.

"Looks good," Akane thanked her on her way out. She returned to the sofa just as I poured out two shots of sake.

"No, not for me," she refused.

"You'll sleep better," I argued. "But I guess you haven't had it for a long time either, It's quite potent if you're not used to it…"

"Hey, I'm Japanese, too, remember," she huffed, and snatched the drink out of my hand to toss it back. Her eyes flared at the taste, and she coughed, but on the whole, she took it like a trooper. Dear, gullible Akane.

We stayed on the sofa, watching Teen Wolf, eating ramen and polishing off a bottle of sake between us. It reminded me of evenings in front of the TV at the Tendo house, watching movies with Akane and Nabiki, while Dad and Mr. Tendo played shogi nearby.

"That moron!" Akane fumed when Michael J. Fox mooned over the gorgeous but opportunistic cheerleader instead of noticing his cute girl buddy. "Well, at least she gets him in the end."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," I warned.

"I'd never," she exclaimed indignantly. I grinned at her. The sake was definitely taking effect.

Zero and counting…

"Ow!" Akane sat up, rubbing her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" I asked, faking concern. I already knew exactly what was wrong.

"My shoulder hurts," Akane murmured, rubbing at the painful area. "It feels like I pulled something."

"Let me see," I scooted closer. "Do you need ice for it?"

Akane shook her head. "It doesn't … feel like that sort of pain. It just feels really, really tense."

I placed a hand on her shoulder, on exactly the right spot, and began to rub the bundle of nerves that were causing the pain. Akane's eyes closed from sheer relief and she let out a moan of bliss.

"Yes, there!" She urged.

The position was awkward, but I stayed that way, careful of crossing boundaries, until Akane inched closer to me to get more comfortable.

"There, how's that?" I asked, and stopped, letting the warmth of my fingers seep through. Akane seemed to be in no hurry to dislodge my hand from her shoulder.

Akane turned her head sideways. "Oh, much better, but…oh, it's back."

I continued the massage, gently but firmly circling my thumb over her muscles. "It feels as though you might have crossed a nerve or something," I lied through my teeth. The spot I'd 'activated' for lack of a better word, would continue to send out waves of pain through Akane's back. I could massage it all night and she would love it, but if I stopped without applying the correct pressure, the pain would resume.

Akane mumbled in reply, her head hanging forward. I eased her forward onto the arm of the sofa, letting her face rest against the cushioned back. I supported her body with my other arm and stroked her shoulder slowly, working the tendons to release the pressure.

As the tension seeped from her body, I allowed her torso to curve against the cushions, and used my other arm to stroke up and down her back as well, until she was nearly asleep.

But there's all kinds of massage. I let her consciousness dance on the edge of sleep, and then, slowly, so slowly, I began to use my fingers to stimulate her body. My hand on her shoulder began to curve down toward her armpit, and I splayed my fingers over the wing of her shoulders. The other hand began to draw feather-soft patterns on her back. I dew ever widening circles that looped in and around themselves, and trailed rivers of shivers across her ribs.

Akane began to awaken slowly, her body recognizing the signals long before her mind did. I curved into the space between her body and the sofa cushions, so that we touched from chest to knees. Her body arched against mine, and a low murmur came from her throat. Softly, I began to lay kisses on the bare skin of her shoulders. She shivered again, and turned into my arms for warmth. I smiled against her hair, and turned her face slightly so I could kiss her. Her eyes were closed, but she turned her lips up ever so slightly, and I took advantage of the unspoken invitation. I kissed her as I'd wanted to, all these days. Her lips tasted even better than I remembered, and I sank into their sweet depths almost wantonly. Not quite, though. I couldn't afford to lose myself. I had to keep her on the razor edge of desire, her mind too fogged to remember why she shouldn't be doing this, her body thrilling to my touch.

I threaded my hand through her silky, black hair, and cradled her head to kiss her and kiss her until our lips turned numb. My other hand slipped beneath her blouse to caress her breasts. My massage had brought our bodies to about the same temperature, so my fingers were warm on her skin. Despite my determination to stay focused and alert, my body was responding as well. Blood was pounding through my body, warming me rapidly. I languidly ran my hand down Akane's body, as though I had all the time in the world, but within me was a heat that was growing to fever intensity. My body clamored for me to take her right there and then.

_You've got better control than this, Ranma Saotome!_ I growled to myself. I forced myself breathe slower, and eventually my body returned to a semblance of calm.

Akane half-opened her eyes and stared up at me. "Ranma?" she asked soflty.

"Sshh," I soothed, drawing her into my arms again. I kissed her again until she was squirming in my embrace, wrapping one leg around mine. She slid her arms around me, and I used the invitation to slide a finger under her panties, into her wet warmth. She gasped, and nearly rose off the sofa. I kissed her into acquiescence, and softly began to stroke her. Damn, it felt good. She made soft little choking sounds against my mouth. Then her warm hand slipped inside my pants, found me, and wrapped itself around me. I nearly groaned. Self control was one thing, but Akane was like fuel for my lust. The more I got of her, the more I wanted. Swiftly, I undid my buttons, and then poised over her.

"Akane?" I asked.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around me again. I could have taken that as a yes, but I wanted no misunderstandings later.

"Do you want this?" I whispered harshly.

"Yes!" she cried, her eyes shut.

Anger raged through the desire. I captured her face with my fingers, and her eyes flew open. "Ranma!"

I grinned mockingly. "Now that you know who's fucking you…"

Answering anger sparked in her eyes. "I've always known," she retorted.

And there was no going back. I slammed into her. She was everything I remembered. Once I was in, I forced the anger back, and slowed. I drew out, slid in, and moved into her, and she cried out, her fingers grasping my upper arms. I stopped for a second, wondering guiltily if she was in pain, but she grabbed my hips and forced me even deeper. I nipped her neck, and continued. Our breaths sounded harshly in the silence, until Akane gasped and clutched my shoulders hard as she came. The force of it brought me with her, and we collapsed after a long, endless moment of raw pleasure.

Exhaustion claimed us, and we slept.

In the middle of the night, I woke to Akane nipping at my neck with her small teeth. She was running her hands down my ribs, and all in all doing her very best to wake me up.

"Hey," My voice sounded sleep roughened.

"Hey, yourself," she said, trailing kisses along my chest. She bit my nipple lightly.

"Ow!" I gasped. "Violent chick."

"Oh, yeah? You haven't seen anything yet." Akane wrapped her fingers around my shaft again, and squeezed.

"It doesn't hurt," I pointed out.

She grabbed my balls, a feral look in her eyes. "Now?" she asked.

With no warning, I flipped her. She landed on the sofa on her stomach, the breath knocked out of her.

"What…?"

I pulled her hips up and before she realized what was happening, I'd impaled her. In this position, she was pretty much pinned. She gasped, feeling me even more deeply this way. I pulled out slowly, and slammed back in. She lowered her head and moaned, arching her back. "You wouldn't," she snarled.

For answer, I kissed her shoulder, and reaching around her, began to play with her breasts, stroking them, feeling their curve. Akane's head fell back against my chest, and her hands covered mine, our fingers interlacing on her breasts. We moved in tandem. I began to rub her gently, rocking into her at the same time, and the double sensation proved to be too much for her. She straightened and screamed, then fell back onto the sofa. I joined her there, spent myself.

She curled up against me wordlessly, and went back to sleep.

At some point during the night, I carried her to the bed, and curled up there with her. Recriminations would come soon enough, but for now, I'd enjoy holding her.

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"Damn you!" was the first thing I heard, and only my martial reflexes helped me move out of the way of a right-handed punch coming my way.

I blinked in the morning light, and caught Akane's wrist, raising sleepy eyes to look up at her furious face.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"What's wrong? Why…you…seduced me! You jerk!" Akane fumed. She was so furious she hadn't bothered to dress, and instead had the quilt wrapped protectively around her ribs.

I closed my eyes and lay back, feigning boredom. "C'mon, if you don't want to take responsibility for your actions…"

Akane would have jumped out of bed if I hadn't had a firm hold of her wrist. "Excuse me?" she screeched.

"I offered to do this in _my_ room, but you refused. I offered to have dinner alone and see you afterwards, but you refused. And wasn't I doing you a favour, by the way? YOU were the one with the blinding pain."

Akane opened her mouth, then closed it. "I strongly feel you had something to do with this, Ranma!" she managed finally.

"If you mean, your waking up naked in your hotel room, then yeah, I did," I drawled. "I did quite a lot, if I recall correctly."

Akane blushed furiously and leapt out of bed, dragging the quilt with her. Her eyes turned to me and she turned bright red. "Put some clothes on, for goodness' sake!" She hastily averted her eyes, but not before she'd taken a very long look. I grinned to myself and got out of bed, pulling my trousers on.

Akane disappeared into the bathroom and slammed the door. I heard the lock click. Guess there'd be no long showers today.

It didn't take long to take the elevator back to my room, shave and shower, and order breakfast. I only stopped to make a quick wax copy of Akane's key, lying on the hotel table. I'd get it made later at a locksmith, just in case.

I was halfway through a croissant when there was an impatient rap at my door.

"It's open," I called.

The door opened to reveal Akane, dressed in linen culottes and a black t-shirt. She looked irritated. And tired. And her skin glowed. I kept my smirk to myself.

"Have a croissant," I waved her to a seat. "I got used to this in the United States. I like it with margarine, but I've got jam if you'd like some instead."

"You," Akane hissed. "If I didn't need you to go undercover today and find out what happened to Dr. Tofu, I'd…I'd…"

I raised my hands. "Hey," I said more seriously. "You want me to apologise that a midnight massage session turned into something a little more…scratch that, a LOT more fun? It's not like we haven't had sex before, various times…in different places, in another city…"

"Okay, stop!" Akane sat down, her face burning. "I refuse to discuss this any longer. Just when are we going to the Gilded Lily?"

"We?" I leaned back. "Oh, no. Dear Akane, you're not going near that place again. I'll get there and call you on my cell phone when I've discovered something."

"What am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for you?" she inquired. "That could take days, Ranma. I should find a spot close to the brothel, just in case you need help."

"Why don't you visit your family instead?" I asked. She cringed.

"Okay, enough," I snapped. "What is with you and your family? When I left, you were all lovey-dovey with each other. Now, it's different. How long since you've been back in Tokyo?"

Akane counted in her head. "Um, almost three years."

"Three years?" I eyed her skeptically. "What's wrong with this picture?"

She bit into a croissant and shrugged, her mouth full.

"Awesome avoidance tactic." Sarcasm dripped from my words.

She swallowed and grimaced. "You're giving me a headache, Ranma. Stop with the questions. Just let's get this over with. The sooner we're done with the brothel, the better." I heartily agreed on that one, so we left the hotel.

We split up, and soon enough I found myself back at the Gilded Lily, staring up at the sign. The same women from the day before were staring at me, but I looked very different this time. I was a girl, red-haired, blue-eyed and buxom. I wore a kimono, and demurely kept my head down when I asked to see the Madame.

She floated in as brassily as she had yesterday, looked me up and down, and smiled.

"My goodness," she said, sizing me up. "And what can I do for you, dearie?"

"I…My name is Ranko Hino, madame," I whispered. "My father lost his job last month, and I have three younger sisters. I have decided to make my own way in the world, madame. I was told you could help me."

"Who told you?" she asked sharply.

"Mr. Lee," I provided a common name. "The tall one. I don't know his last name." There weren't bound to be too many tall Lees around, and if Madame Segawa knew such a guy, her mind would immediately jump to him.

"Oh, him!" Madame Segawa's face cleared. "That's all right then. He's a fairly regular customer. Come my dear, are you sure this s what you want?"

"Yes. I have few other skills."

"Well you do have an amazing body, I'll admit that…"

"Thank you," I replied tersely.

She rose. "Come this way. Aya will show you to your room. It's almost time for lunch. You can eat with the girls, and then we can discuss any…experience you might have."

I nodded, and thanked her. Aya, dressed in another loose kimono, appeared and led me up two flights of stairs. The second floor held the rooms the women met clients in, and the floor above that was the sleeping quarters. I began to feel claustrophobic, and reminded myself that I could bust out of this place any time I really wanted to. Finally, I calmed down, and began to concentrate on my mission. I had to find out why Dr. Tofu had come here. And what had happened to him after that. The trail couldn't end here.

Okay, please review, so when I wake up in the morning, I get happy, and start planning chapter 9. :) Comments on the sofa scenes are especially appreciated. I've been working on writing better lime scenes, and c&c reallyhelps with that. Cheers!


	9. The Blue Lotus

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all the recent reviewers who have been pestering me for an update. This would never have gotten done without your (endless) needling. :)

DISCLAIMER: Ranma and co. don't belong to me, but to Rumiko Takahashi.

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_**Chapter 9**_

I left Ranma behind, and made my way back to the hotel, trying to quell my impatience. I knew it would probably take him a day or two to find out anything and call me. But waiting made me feel totally useless. I'd had to do it before, any number of times on other jobs, and I knew what a pain it could be.

Back in my room, I paced the floor, turned on the television and surfed channels without paying much attention to what was actually playing on the screen. My mind insisted on replaying Ranma and me on my couch, his hands running over me, his mouth whispering against my neck…

_Get a grip, Akane. _I shuddered and shook my head. But then I remembered the morning, where my own guilt had made me lose it on him. Finally, I flung down the remote. This was getting me nowhere. I needed to achieve some mental balance.

I stood up, and stretched, walked around, stretched. The French window behind me let in soft afternoon light through the gauzy curtains, and a breeze was blowing them against the backs of my bare calves.

I closed my eyes and sank into the lotus position, breathing deeply.

Immediately I was more aware of my surroundings. I focused on sounds coming from outside – the faint growl of a lawnmower chomping grass in the distance, idle sounds of conversation from the patio far below, bird calls…then I brought my attention back into the room, and then into myself, letting my consciousness sink below body awareness.

In that sleeplike trance, I went through the exercises my 'anger management' sensei had taught me. My mind began to calm, as I forced waves of peace to wash over my mind. An antique metal balance appeared in my mind, the kind that had two scale pans, one on each side. In one pan, my anger and impatience simmered. In the other sat peace.

I forced the scale to balance until the metal needle pointed straight up, showing perfect balance.

The sound of the phone ringing disturbed me. I opened my eyes and was startled to realize that the room was dark now, with night well settled in. I hadn't turned on any lamps, of course, and the only light came from the street-lights outside the window. The air had turned cooler as well, and I shivered from the chill.

The phone shrilled again. Ranma! I bounced to my feet with the thought and grabbed the receiver. The motion sent my cramped muscles screaming with protest.

"Hello!" I gasped, massaging a calf.

"Akane-san? Is that you?" A young voice sounded over the phone. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. I glanced at the clock. It was just past midnight. Who was this?

"Yes, this is Akane. Who is this?"

"Akane-san, this is Jain. I…I had your phone number. Please, I need your help!"

"Jain?" We'd just dropped him at the temple a few hours ago. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Where are the monks?"

I could hear muffled sobs on the phone. "The temple is burning. Some men came, and attacked us…."

"Where's Brother Nhuy?" I pulled the name of the monk from my memory.

Jain started crying harder. "He told me to run..a..a..and hide…I…"

My heart wrenched for him. "Where are you, Jain?"

"I climbed over the wall of the temple. It's hidden by trees, so no one knew it was there…I'm outside…"

"Stay hidden. I'll come get you." I hung up and ran for my suitcase, grabbed my gun, bullets and wallet.

I exited my room carefully, trying to look casual, but speedy. Downstairs, I used on of the courtesy phones to call the police and inform them that a fire was happening at the Blue Lotus temple. I didn't want them to know who was calling in, just in case it interfered with my protecting Jain. This way, I could stay anonymous and still appease my conscience. I hailed one of the cabs that waited for tourists just outside the hotel. My heart was beating fast. I didn't know what was happening at the temple, but Jain had sounded really scared.

"I'll pay you twice the charge if you can get there twice as fast!" I challenged the cabbie in Japanese.

"You've got a deal," he replied with a wink, and slammed his foot to the accelerator. The car growled and jumped forward, speeding through dark, neon lighted streets toward the more secluded part of town where the temple was.

True to his word, a few minutes later, the cabbie pulled up a few yards from the temple. I jumped out as he stared at the flashing police lights and vehicles, the crowd of curious people gathering around the police blockade. The orange glow above the temple confirmed my fears that Jain was really telling the truth. I had to find him!

I tossed cash into the cabbie's lap. "Thanks!" I muttered quickly, and sprinted for the tree cover around the temple compound. Where was Jain? He had to be hiding somewhere. I braked to a stop, glancing around. Ah, there it was! The phone booth he'd called me from.

I approached it, and skirted it, keeping an eye out. "Jain?" I hissed. "Jain! Where are you?" I went deeper into the trees, further away from the crowd, reasoning that's where he'd hide.

"Jain, it's Akane! Please come out."

"Look out!"

I turned. "Jain!" He stood, eyes wide and frightened, his temple robes smudged and dirty. And they'd shaved his head.

A hand clamped around my mouth, holding some chemical-soaked rag under my nose. I forced myself not to breathe, and swiftly back-kicked my attacker, sending him plunging into the bushes. He rose and attacked in a flurry of kicks, but I jumped back and then into him, turning and using my elbow to ram into his solar plexus. His breath emerged in a startled gust, and I punched him in the face.

Just as he went down, another man rushed me from the bushes. This one I could see more clearly. He was dressed in a suit and his bald head gleamed under the moonlight. He growled and ran toward me. I was more than happy to jump and ram my knee into his chin with jaw-dropping force. Baldy definitely dropped like a stone. I peered into the trees, but it didn't look like any more thugs were going to show up right that second.

Jain stared at me, awestruck. "Wow," he said. "That was awesome! I didn't know girls could fight like that."

I laughed. "Then you haven't met a lot of girls yet. Especially some of the ones I know." I sobered as we heard voices shouting behind us, and the sirens of more firetrucks.

Crouching, I took hold of his thin shoulders."What happened here, Jain?"

The kid's eyes got huge. "I don't know. After you left, we had dinner, and talked. The monks shaved my head. Brother Nhuy showed me where to sleep, and I was asleep. And I woke up, and there was smoke verywhere! Brother Nhuy came back and told me to hide outside the temple, he said bad men were coming for me."

"Um." Yeah, I could see that. Bad men, indeed.

"Listen, Jain, did Borther Nhuy say anything about the map? Y'know, on your back?"

"Yes, he said…" The kid's eyes widened. "Look out!"

Another one of the goons erupted out of nowhere. A couple minutes later and I stood, dusting off my hands and breathing more heavily. Jain stared at the unconscious guy.

"All right, I'm done with the meet-and-greets." I hustled Jain ahead of me. "We'd better get out of here, kid."

The cab I'd arrived in was still there, the cabbie inside watching the firemen do their work, but taking the cab again was a bad idea. I didn't want to leave more of a trail than I could help. I glanced towards the temple briefly, and hoped that the fire hadn't hurt too many people. I gently pushed Jain away from the sight.

We walked to the nearest public bus stop, and I picked the bus that would drop us within walking distance to the hotel.

On the mostly empty bus, I sank into one of the seats, and Jain sat opposite me. He stayed quiet through most of the ride, and I realized I hadn't had time to think of Ranma for the past hour or so. A distraction was good, but this was a whole different puzzle.

We got off the bus at my predetermined stop, and I carried the tired child on my back, until we were in sight of the hotel. Fear and escaping for his life had exhausted the kid, and he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit my pillow.

I lay against the arm of the couch, watching him, wondering what was going on. Technically, my job was finished. I'd delivered the payload- Jain- to the temple, and that was all my contract stipulated. But if he wasn't safe there, where could he go? And why had he been attacked anyway? Of course, any fool with a working finger would point straight at the map on his back. Maps traditionally led to treasure, and I got the feeling this one was in demand by _somebody._

Sighing, I lay back and turned off the lamp. I was tired too, and in under five minutes, I was asleep.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Well, whatcha think?


	10. Chapter 10

Whoa: Here's Chapter 10.

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Chapter 10**_

"Natto!" Jain dug into his breakfast with all the relish of someone coming off a five-day hunger strike. I watched across the breakfast table with bemusement as he went through a bowl of the Japanese breakfast food with speed to rival Ranma.

Actually, I was glad to see a little enthusiasm on his part.

Jain had woken up sad and somber, which wasn't surprising considering he was in a strange bed, in a stranger's hotel room. Or at least he'd stayed sad until I told him about my phone call to the temple. I hadn't been able to speak to Brother Nhuy personally, as he and a few other monks had been carted off to Tokyo General for smoke inhalation and mild burns. Luckily, no one had been seriously hurt, the monk I'd spoken to had told me.

Jain had taken the news very well, and his tiny sagging shoulders had lifted.

I munched on my chopsticks as I watched him. The monks might be fine, but letting Jain return to the temple was tantamount to sending the goat back into the tiger cage.

"So, Jain, do you remember how you got that tattoo on your back?" I asked gently, heroically refraining from asking what I really wanted to, which was "Why do you think those men burned down the temple to come get you, and who the hell do you think they were?!"

See, I have restraint.

Jain stopped eating momentarily. He glanced up with a worried expression. "It was a long time ago." I nodded encouragingly.

"It was at my old home. I live there with my father and…"

"Jesus. You have parents?" I leaned forward with abrupt attention. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to me that Jain might have a mother or father around. For some reason, I'd assumed he was an orphan.

Jain paused thoughtfully. "Well, my mother passed away when I was a baby, and my father joined the monastery of the Green Tiger. He took me with him. We both lived there."

Oh, his Dad was a monk. Okay, then. I sat back, biting back questions like 'Then where the fuck is he now, while his kid is getting torched by a bunch of thugs?' "Go on."

Jain had taken another bite of the natto, and he chewed, remembering. "When I was six, a plane crashed outside our monastery, and the monks went out to see if anyone was alive. Four people died, but they found two survivors. Both were big men. Foreigners. One was dying, though. He had lost a lot of blood, and the monks did their best to heal him but…"

I nodded. The odds of surviving a plane crash at all were slim to begin with. It was amazing they'd found any survivors at all.

"Anyway, the two men seemed to be pretty angry at each other, but they didn't talk much to each other. Then that evening, after everyone was in bed, I had a tummy ache, and I went down to the sickbay to get some herbal medicine that Brother Katashi used to mix for me, and I heard the two strangers arguing. The one who was well was in the room of the other one. He was shouting at him in some strange language. But I think the other one was too weak to reply, because then the angry man came out, and walked away.

I went in to see if the other man was all right. He saw me, and…" Jain visibly gulped. He began to shake, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

Alarmed, I leapt from my chair to hug him. "Jain, it's all right! I'm so sorry! Look, it doesn't matter, okay?" Shit. I cursed myself for forcing an 8-year-old to relive such an obviously traumatic experience. I rubbed his back, my palm no doubt going over the tattoo as I patted him.

"Hey, listen, why don't we go to the mall?" I gently tipped his wet face up. "You need some new clothes." And I didn't need to be announcing 'Here! Here's the baby monk I stole from the temple!' everywhere we went if Jain stayed in his robes.

"Mall?" His face wrinkled in uncertainty.

"It'll be great! We can get ice cream!" I was ready to promised him the entire icecream shop if he'd stop crying.

"Ice cream…" Jain smiled slowly, and I knew I had a winner.

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The mall was extremely busy. I counted days and realized it was the weekend. People were chattering away in Japanese, families, couples and groups of friends all out for a day at the mall.

I spotted a Uniclo with kid-sized mannequins sporting hoodies and jeans, and ushered Jain in there.

We spent about twenty minutes picking out underwear, t-shirts, loose linen pants and a couple of hoodies for him. Jain found the colours and styles fascinating. I encouraged him to change into some of the new stuff right away. I'd already gotten some stares from people watching me escort a young monk in temple clothes around.

I forked over the cash, wondering if I could expense this with my company. Probably not.

We hit the ice-cream store next, and it was as I was paying for our huge cones that Jain spotted the duck- pond set in a large open space. People were feeding the ducks, and Jain drifted over to it, watching the birds and licking his cone.

I kept an eye on him in turn, and half an eye on the passersby.

It was as I turned to dump my used napkins that I spotted a familiar figure. Tall, long braid swinging behind him, razored sideburns.

"Kalia..." It was a soft sound, but he must have had exceptional hearing, because he turned and saw me. The tiger eyes flared slightly in surprise. He turned and took two quick steps to reach my side.

"It's strange how I keep running into you," he said, tilting his head down at me. "You're not following me, are you?"

I laughed and shrugged. "Yeah, you got me. I've been staking out this mall since we met. I could tell you were a shopaholic right away. "

He burst out laughing. "Was it my Gucci cologne?"

I sniffed. "Any fashionista can tell." I could feel that mild electricity between us again, a gentle tug.

A crowd of people walked past us, and I automatically did a check for Jain, also happy to avert my red face. He turned to see me at the same time, tried to see around the crowd, finally spotted me, and waved. I waved back over the heads of the people.

"Is that your son?" Kalia asked with mild curiosity. He was watching Jain now.

I blinked. "No, he's...my younger brother. My kid brother. I'm…getting to know him again."

"Ah, I see." He turned and smiled at me, his golden eyes warm. Another crowd of people walked past us, and I moved out of their way.

"It's strange to be back in Japan after so long, isn't it?" he mused. "Leaving your family behind…coming back… They may not even recognize you any more."

I remembered telling him on the plane that I was back visiting relatives. Was it the same for him? "Have you been away from Japan for a while?" I asked.

He glanced away. "Yes. Too long. I'm glad to be back, but…everyone's grown up."

"Yeah, they do that," I agreed. I was kind of distracted, thinking about Nabiki getting married, and keeping an eye on Jain, but also intrigued by this guy. His story sounded kind of similar to mine. You went away for a few years, and came back expecting it to stay the same, and it didn't.

Kalia crossed his arms. "So, fellow stranger in a strange land, if you're free, maybe I could see you for coffee sometime?"

"Um…" That would be a _bad _idea. In between puzzling out Jain's dilemma, and my mission to find Dr. Tofu, and battling Ranma, I had no time to date someone. And to be honest, I didn't really want to. Kalia was hot and all, and sure, I was mad as hell at Ranma, but that would be below the belt. On some level. Besides, it was pretty much a given that Ranma would find out. And Kalia was just too hot to be shoved head-first down the nearest garbage disposal by an enraged Ranma.

"I'm not here for too many more days, and I have a ton of things to do. I'm afraid I can't make it," I apologized. Was it me, or did the smallest spark of irritation cross those tiger eyes?

But he gave an offhand shrug, and smiled. "I understand. But Nerima's a small place. I may see you around sometime. Again."

I smiled back, and watched him disappear into the crowd. And sighed.

Collecting Jain from the duckpond, I quickly made my way to a department store and bought the cheapest digital camera I could find. Then we quickly made our way back to the hotel.

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Once we were back in the room, I turned to Jain.

"Hey, kiddo, I need to ask you for a favour." He turned to me questioningly.

"Could you show me the tattoo on your back? Do you mind if I take some pictures of it?" I asked gently.

Mute, he shook his head, eyes wide. I hated myself for bringing that look back to his face, but I had no choice. It was a matter of keeping him alive.

He turned, and flipped up the back of his shirt with the ease of repetition, as high as it would go. I got the feeling he had done this a lot. The map had been inked in blue between his shoulder blades, a picture roughly in the shape of Australia.

I quickly snapped some photographs as close as I could with the camera, and let Jain pull his shirt back down as I quickly uploaded the pictures to my PDA.

I switched the TV on for him, and retreated to the small dinette table to examine the photographs on my screen.

The map seemed to depict a forest, and mountains…There was a dotted line winding across the map that led to the 'x' that was requisite for any treasure map. Presumably, that's the line you were supposed to follow. There was a river that wound across the map, and the dotted line crossed it twice. The x seemed to be near a waterfall, as well. There were also a few signs that would only have meaning to the one who had drawn it, as well as some writing. The river seemed to be called…I traced my finger along the LCD screen, and pressed the zoom button…Varena. The Varena River. I had never heard the name. All I knew was that it didn't sound Japanese. What country did it belong to? The USA, Canada, Mexico, anywhere in Africa?

I shook my head. I was glad I wasn't the one looking for the treasure. I just had to keep the map bearer safe.

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Akane's in kind of a pickle now. She knows what the map looks like, but what's she going to do about it?


	11. Sayuri's Story

Whoa: Here's Chapter 11.

_**Chapter 11**_

Two days had passed, and I had spent most of it trying to do research on Jain's map, in between meals and meditation times with Jain, who did his best to continue his temple training. All the books I found at the local library had no mention of the Varena river. I looked up old treasure maps, but most of those treasures had been found by now by international treasure hunters.

I woke up one morning to see Jain standing on one foot, eyes closed, doing a series of katas that were familiar to me. I watched him for a while before I realized that they resembled some of the moves I had learned from my own teacher. So that's where my sensei had learned some of this stuff! He did them for mental well being. I did them to rein in my temper. I guess it was the same thing, if you looked at that way.

I rose, and joined Jain, both of us working toward harmony in our slow, sweeping motions, as we turned, dipped, rose and spun. I didn't know whether he was consciously aware of me, but we moved in tandem nonetheless, like two leaves following the same current of water in a stream.

We did the same before going to bed again that evening. The exercise left me feeling calm and peaceful, and I drifted off to sleep on the couch, feeling as though maybe the entire weight of the world didn't really rest on my shoulders.

And then I was dreaming. I was walking through the jungle, looking for Dr. Tofu. I hacked through the undergrowth with my machete, but vines kept creeping back up, curling around my legs, and holding me in place. I saw a flash of a white coat. There! There he was! I strained away from he vines, trying to reach him…And woke up fighting the thin bedsheet I'd used as a cover.

The phone was ringing loudly, but it was still dark outside. I checked my watch as I reached for the receiver. Five am. Ugh!

"Hello?"

"Yo. Akane." A familiar macho female voice came over the phone.

I gripped the phone tighter. "Ranma! Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Haven't had to kick any ass, if that's what you're wondering. Well, hardly, anyway."

I relaxed, and sank back against the cushions. "Okay, so did you find out anything?"

"Yeah. I've been making friends with this chick, Aya. She's been working here for six years now. Anyway, we've been hanging out together, cos' she's kinda taken me under her wing. She's teaching me all about make-up, and what guys want…"

"Ranma, please…Stop trying to make me barf," I pleaded quietly.

She chuckled. "Okay, well, like I said, I've been sticking pretty close to her, but last night, she tried to lose me. I thought it was for a customer at first, but they were all sorted out among the rest of the chicks already. It was actually one of the girls that came to get her, instead of a servant. Anyway, I followed 'em, and they ended up at this other chick's room. Turns out she's pregnant. They started talking about finding a doctor for her, and then one of them mentioned 'the nice doctor' and too bad how he wasn't around anymore, and Aya hushed her up."

My veins began to pound with excitement. Were they talking about Dr. Tofu?

"Holy cow," I muttered. "If it was Dr. Tofu, all that time Kasumi thought he was cheating on her by going to the Gilded Lily, he was actually treating women there!"

"Yeah, well it was him," Ranma continued grimly.

"How do you know?"

"I had a little chat with the chick who came to get her, that's how. Sayuri. Sayuri liked Dr. Tofu a lot because he helped her friend when the chick got her aura blocked or something. So I told her I was a friend of his, and- Anyway, are you ready for this?"

I clutched the phone tighter. I could hear the plastic creaking. "Tell me."

Ranma sighed. "Why can't things be easy?" she said, almost in an aside to herself. "Anyway, one of the johns at the Gilded Lily is some kind of Japanese second-in-command to a drug dealer down in Brazil. He stops there when he comes into Japan with a shipment, or on his way to someplace else. Anyway, his boss developed some kind of mysterious disease, and Madame Segawa told this dude about Dr. Tofu, and then nothing would do but they gotta kidnap Dr. Tofu and take him with them to cure this Brazilian druglord."

I slapped a hand to my forehead and cursed. "Yeah," Ranma agreed tersely from the receiver. Brazil. All the way over in South America.

"Why the…but then…That was two years ago!" I exclaimed incredulously. "Why didn't they return him?"

"Y'know what I think?" Ranma sounded pissed off. "I think Dr. Tofu probably did his job all too well…"

"So, you're saying now he's their pet doctor?" I demanded. "What kind of dumb arrangement is that??"

I could hear his shrug over the phone. "Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's their philosophy, I'm guessing. Anyway, it explains why the police didn't find hide or hair of him. These guys have their own planes and ships. Smuggling one doctor out of the country is not gonna be too hard."

I sighed, and leaned my head against the side table, thinking.

"You get the name of this guy?" I asked.

"The boss's name is Djavan de Castilho. Apparently he's one of the heavy hitters in Brazil. Sayuri said his No. 2 is simply called Ikoko."

"Ikoko?"

"Yeah, apparently it means 'Hyena'."

"Huh. I don't suppose you know where Castilho can be found."

"Sayuri doesn't know, she just knows Ikoko goes back to Brazil."

"All right," I said, exhaling. "I think I can rustle up someone who might know where Castilho operates. He might be able to find out something. So, are you breaking deep cover?"

"I'm gonna cut and run," Ranma confirmed. "I've had about as much of this place as I can take."

"Ranma…" I paused.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For doing this. I know it's not easy for you." I heard a snort, and a click. Then I realized I'd forgotten to tell him about Jain. Damn.

I thought for a bit, consulted my PDA and dialed another number, long distance. The call lasted a few minutes, and pretty soon I made a third call, this time to room service. Jain and I both needed breakfast. It looked like it was going to be a busy day.

By the time I had a shower and dressed, Jain was just waking up and room service was knocking on the door. I let them in, carefully making sure it was the maid I recognized when we'd first checked in. She left several covered dishes on the table and left. I gazed at the dishes hungrily, but I didn't want Ranma scaring Jain again if he walked in.

"Jain, listen, I'm heading downstairs for a few minutes. I'll be right back, okay?" I said.

He nodded sleepily, heading into the bathroom.

I took the elevator down to the 7th floor, and knocked on Ranma's door. As I'd expected, he was already back. What I hadn't expected was for him to open the door wearing just a white towel hitched low around his hips, munching on another croissant.

"Yo, Akane," he hailed me cheerfully. I backpedaled.

"Uh, I'll come back later," I stammered. "When you're dressed."

He reached out and wrapped his fingers around my wrist. In another second, I'd been pulled inside the room, and the door closed with a sickeningly soft thud. The comforting smell of coffee wafted through the room. I turned around, ready to fend off any overtures, but Ranma was back at his breakfast, taking a sip from a giant mug.

"What's up?" he asked. I couldn't take my eyes off that smooth expanse of his chest. My fingers twitched with the sensory memory of his warm skin beneath them. I'd seen people outside turn to stare at him. He was very tall for a Japanese male, and his way of life ensured that he never had an extra ounce of fat anywhere on his body. I noted with interest that he had an eight pack now. I'd never seen one of those before. Close up. Bare.

I racked my brain for a second, then remembered.

"Jain's back with us."

Ranma glanced at me over the rim of his mug, then set it down. "Tell me," he commanded.

I did, as he disappeared into the bathroom to swiftly change into linen pants and a dark blue shirt. He left the door open, the better to hear my story I presumed, but I took no chances and stayed safely out of sight as I recited what had been happening while he'd been re-enacting _Memoirs of a Geisha_ at the Gilded Lily.

"Shit.That sucks. Poor kid." Ranma, succinct as always. He came out of the bathroom, brow furrowed. "You can't keep him with us forever, Akane."

I massaged my forehead. "I know. But we need to find whoever's after him. It _has _to be for the map. He couldn't finish telling me his story, and I'm sure there's more to it."

"We can't take him to Brazil with us," Ranma protested. "We don't even know where we're going."

"Well, what else can we do?" I wanted to know. "I don't know anyone else I can leave him with. That I trust. I am NOT leaving him with Kasumi or Nabiki, or Dad." Ranma frowned.

"Have you ever been to South Amaerica?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Ranma eyed me. "I've been to Brazil, once. For a job." He yanked open a drawer and withdrew his wallet.

My ears perked up. "What kind of job?" The only thing Ranma had ever told me about what he'd been doing for the last years was that he'd been part of some kind of special Japanese task force, and that he'd been working out of a U.S base for the past few years.

Ranma began counting the money inside, rifling through bills quickly." A high-ranking Iranian diplomat had his son stolen by a Peruvian gangster. The guy wholed up in his hideout in Brazil, and I was sent to retrieve her."

"Did you do it?" I couldn't help asking.

Even before he looked at me, I knew the answer. Ranma always won. He may not have won his battle against Jusenykou yet, but everything else came up against Ranma's power and arrogance, and lost.

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Back in my room, I told Jain about Ranma. He furrowed his brow. "Oh, him," and went back to studying the Buddhist scroll the temple had given him.

Ranma said he had a couple of arrangements to make if we were all heading for Brazil. Jain had had a passport, but he'd left it behind with his other belongings in the temple. Ranma was going try to get us a fake one, but I decided I should try and exhaust other options before I went ahead and kidnapped the kid.

I crouched before him. "Jain, listen, do you know where your dad is?"

Jain looked up, eyes wide. "My Dad?"

"Yeah, you know, you said, you guys were in a monastery together, but...you know,does he know where you are? I mean, was he going to come see you?" Jain started to shake, and I was struck by an awful thought. "Oh, damn, I mean, he's not…gone, is he?" Had he been killed by one of the gangsters?

Jain shook his head, but he whispered, "No, no…I don't want to see him…no…" Tears began to roll down his cheeks again. Geez, this was one traumatized kid. What had he gone through? I needed to hear the rest of the story, but starting with his father was obviously not a good idea.

"Hey, sweetie, don't worry." I hugged him, and rubbed his back until he looked a little better.

"I'm sorry," he started.

"Don't worry, kid, she's made a lot of guys cry," came a sardonic voice behind us, and I turned to see Ranma shut the door behind him.

"Shut up, jackass," I stood, glaring at him. "That is so not true. Unless you mean they cried because I was just a better martial artist."

"Ha!" Ranma snorted, then began to laugh. "You wish."

I walked away, telling myself I was the bigger person. Using the hotel phone, I called my boss back in the U.S.

"Akane," Mr. Yamayato bellowed with good cheer over the phone. "How are you? Good job delivering your last package. The payment has been deposited in your account. But since it's the weekend, I'm guessing it will only show up tomorrow."

"Yeah, well, thanks Mr. Yamayato, but I have a problem."

"And what's that, dear?" He spoke with the utter confidence of one who knew his minions could solve just about anything.

"My package has boomeranged back to me. Have you seen the local news today?"

"Um, no, I was just reading this fascinating story they have about how this two-headed snake they're breeding for…" I could hear him clicking through the various websites he subscribed to. And then silence, as he found the story. Temple of the Blue Heron attacked in Japan.

"I see," he said slowly. I could hear the wheels turning in his brain.

"Well, my dear, I think you'll have to hang on to the package a little longer while I contact our lovely client. Your job's been completed. Our contract with her is now void. However, this new development does complicate things."

"And how. I'm leaving the country in a day or two."

"Oh, coming home?"

"No."

"Ah." There was a pause. "Then in that case, I'll have to ask you to perform _in loco parentis _for a while, until I sort out what's going on."

"Is there anyone you trust that I can leave hi…the package with, here?" I asked desperately.

"None for something so…delicate." Which meant all his contacts here were bound to be street fighters, agents, or couriers like me. "It'll have to be you."

I sighed. "I was afraid of that."

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So! Our little company is off to Brazil! What will they learn? Will they find Djavan de Castilho and Ikoko the Hyena? Stay Tuned...


	12. Blast from The Past

Whoa: Here's Chapter 12.

_**Chapter 12**_

My contact called me back within three hours. We talked, and soon I had a pretty good idea of what Djavan de Castilho was all about. The man was a drug dealer, as Ranma had said. But he wasn't just a drug _dealer_, nooo, he was a drug _lord_. The type who wore expensive white suits, and had lots of body guards and lived in huge mansions in Colombia. Or as the case may be, Brazil. My contact sent me an email with what info they had on Castilho, and attached a picture of him, to boot.

I examined it with great curiosity. It had obviously been taken from a distance, probably with a telephoto lens. The zoom made the details a little blurry, but it was more than enough. Castilho stood next to a limo, talking to a bodyguard. He was tall and broad-shouldered and his fawn linen suit didn't do much to hide his powerful physique. His features brought to mind a hawk, and his jet black hair fell loosely to his shoulders.

Ranma had left earlier with Jain to have Jain's passport picture taken, and then to see about arranging for a fake passport for him. I decided to use the time wisely and called my contact back to discuss the most likely place to find Djavan, which would hopefully be the same place I would find Dr. Tofu.

I was debating where to find a map of Brazil and checking my watch when there was a knock on the door. _Finally, _I thought as I went to open the door. I needed Ranma's take on where we ought to go, since he at least had visited the country…

The door swung open and my breath froze in my throat. Just beyond the threshold stood Tatewaki Kuno, eight years after he'd made me betray the one I loved.

My heart stopped, and then stuttered, and then re-started, pumping way too fast. Fear sparked, causing adrenaline to surge through my body, making me lightheaded.

He was older, of course, in fact just a year older than me and Ranma, but I would've thought he was in his early thirties, from the dark circles under his eyes, the tired expression on his face, and the formal dark colours of his kimono, tucked into his hakama.

"Akane," he said, putting a sandaled foot forward. He smiled at me delightedly, the way you would when you ran into an unexpected acquaintance from long ago.

"WHAT are you doing here?" was all I could think of to say. My fingers clenched the door making the wood creak, my body fighting a flight-or-fight response.

"You came back to Japan for my wedding," Kuno breathed, his eyes fixed on my face. "How could I NOT come to see you?"

Same old Kuno. He thought the world was Kuno-centric, as always. If I was back in Japan, of course it must have something to do with him. Not.

I dragged a hand through my short hair. "I didn't come back for your _wedding_…"

Kuno gave a disbelieving laugh. "Then why are you here, after being away for so long?"

I couldn't look at him anymore, without wanting to smash my fist into his belly. All I could see in my mind was Kuno demanding I make Ranma think I'd slept with _him_, Kuno, and drive my fiancé away. I turned away and walked back into the room, distracted by the memories. I couldn't tell him I was here following Dr. Tofu's trail. It was the last thing I wanted anyone to know.

I remembered how he'd chased me after Ranma left, thinking I was free. I'd bloodied his nose too many times to count, and finally he'd harassed me so much and so often that I'd escaped to America. Now he was back, smiling from my hotel door. And he was about to marry my sister, too. What a snake.

"It's so good to see you, Akane." His voice was too close, and I spun around. The bastard had followed me in. His eyes were sparkling with anticipation. "You look beautiful."

My rage boiled up so fast and hard that choking it down forced my voice into a whisper. "You blackmailed me with Nabiki's pcitures, Kuno. I'm not ready to make nice, if that's what you think I came here to do." My hands clenched into fists at my side. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't go ahead and take off your head right now, you _bastard_," I rasped.

Kuno brought his palms up in a pacifying gesture. "I know I was cruel back then, Akane, and I made you drive Ranma away, but don't you see that he didn't deserve you? Otherwise, fate would have brought you back together, wouldn't it? Instead, fate has brought you here to me. And I've had years to see how my hatred for Saotome bled into my feelings for you, and twisted them. I've realized that I didn't really hate you then, I just…"

"Shut the fuck up, Kuno." I shook my head, wishing him far away. My skin crawled, remembering him in bed with me. Semi-clothed, but still. And the look on Ranma's face when he found us…And the look of glee on Kuno's face…to know his staged set-up had succeeded…

"You shouldn't be here. You're getting married in a few days!"

Kuno grimaced. "Yes, but Nabiki is…"

I didn't want to listen to him. "Just get away from me! It's too late for this."

He came closer, and actually grabbed my wrists. "Akane, don't turn away from me…" I tried to pull away, but he was too strong.

"Yo."

We both turned in slow motion towards the doorway, in a dreadul parody of a wedded couple clasping hands and facing an altar. Ranma stood in the doorway, eyes blazing, but when he spoke his voice was even. "Didn't you hear what she said, asshole? Get the fuck away from her."

"Ranma Saotome…the prodigal returns," Kuno drawled, smirking. He released my hands, his attention on Ranma, now. "Hm, I seem to have a feeling of deju vu…wasn't it the three of us, yes, but it was Akane and I, together, in another room, while you discovered us…much like this?"

Ranma gave a yell of incoherent rage, and charged. Kuno was already moving, and they met in the middle. The resulting crash reverberated through the room and flung me back a couple of feet.

"No! Ranma! Don't let him get to you!" I screamed. But it was too late. Kuno's sword was out, naked steel sparkling in the bright light from the windows. He slashed through the air, and then attempted his thousand-point attack, jabbing through the air at Ranma a thousand times. Ranma was forced to retreat.

But only for a moment. He jumped, and did a quick aerial tumble over Kuno's head, landing behind him. Kuno whipped around, just in time to receive a hail of punches from Ranma's fists. He managed to avoid some, but the rest seemed to do a decent amount of damage.

Gasping, Kuno retreated slightly, and then he scowled, raised his head and cried, "Lightning Claw!" He swung his sword toward Ranma at preternatural speed. Ranma jumped back, just as slices of light detached themselves from Kuno's sword and spun towards Ranma at blinding speed. But Ranma was even faster, and he jumped sideways, but not before one of the blades of light caught and tore into the sleeve of his shirt. The other blades crashed into the bed behind us, slicing it into three different sections.

I 'eeped', and moved further out of the way. Looked like Kuno had picked up a couple of moves in the last few years.

Kuno holding the sword, and Ranma, bleeding, circled each other.

"What are you doing here, Kuno?" Ranma asked, echoing my words from a few minutes ago.

"I came to see Akane, Saotome," Kuno growled. "And you would do well to stay out of my way!" He swept his sword out in a blindingly swift move from left to right, intending to cut Ranma through the torso, but Ranma simply bent backward under the sweep of the sword.

Kuno growled and thrust towards Ranma's stomach, but Ranma sidestepped and grabbed Kuno's sword arm in one swift motion. "Akane doesn't want to see you, asshole, and yeah, I know how you tried to separate us eight years ago. Couldn't handle finding out that your 'pig-tailed girl' and I were one and the same?" he taunted.

"You liar!" Kuno pulled back. "You deceived me with your black magic, Saotome! To think I desired your beautiful body…" Kuno had a wild light in his eyes, matching the gleam of his raised sword.

"Ugh!" Ranma made a face. "You're gonna make me puke, Kuno. It's not my fault you were so blind you couldn't see what everyone else in Nerima knew!"

Kuno stared at him as they continued to circle. "You may have taken the pig-tailed girl from me, but you won't take Akane!"

"Akane is mine!" Ranma cried, and they attacked again, bokken facing fists.

Kuno laughed. "Akane isn't yours! She may have been engaged to you for a while, but that doesn't make her..."

Ranma leapt, feet high, and landed on Kuno's neck, sending him to the ground. Kunos' sword found itself blocked by Ranma's arm, and Ranma did a twist in mid air that ended with his knee poised above Kuno's neck, ready to crush.

"You don't understand," Ranma purred, his bangs falling into his eyes, hiding them. His sleeve slowly dripped blood, filling the room with the scent. "You don't understand. Akane is MINE." I closed my eyes and trembled to hear the calm promise in those familiar words, only shouted in the heat of battle. Ranma knelt closer, until their noses nearly touched. "She_ belongs_ to me. And if I ever see you near her again, I will _kill_ you."

Whatever Kuno saw in Ranma's eyes caused even that idiot to widen his eyes. And then his face quickly changed to that stubborn look I recognized.

"Ranma, look ou.." I ran forward, but Kuno's sword had already changed position,the point reversed and just as quickly dug into Ranma's ribs. Ranma knocked it out of the way before it pierced too deep, and punched Kuno's lights out.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" I knelt, and quickly ripped open his shirt to examined the wound. It was a shallow scratch, and I exhaled with relief.

Ranma began to laugh breathlessly. "I love it when you rip my clothes off, Akane," he said, panting lightly.

I punched his uninjured shoulder lightly. "Dummy! Could you worry about yourself for a second?"

"Why should I, when I've got you here to do it for me?" Ranma was very close, and the look in his eyes was so warm that I turned away, blushing.

Clearing my throat, I said, "Where's Jain?"

"I gave him my room key and told him to go downstairs when I heard Kuno's voice in your room."

We both looked down at the unconscious Kuno. "The suckiness of seeing him again cannot be described," I said.

"I second that," Ranma agreed. We stood, and carried him outside to the carpeted hallway.

I called reception. "Excuse me, but there's a hobo sleeping it off outside my room. Could someone please come get him? Do I know him? Really, he's unconscious. What do you want me to say?"

"Shouldn't we have called Nabiki?" Ranma wanted to know.

I shuddered. "That is one conversation I donot want to have!"

"Hm, yeah, I can't see it ending well."

"No."

I showed Ranma the email from my contact, with Djavan's picture.

"Manaus," Ranma said, with certainty.

"What? Who's that?"

"Not a 'who'. A 'where'. It's a Brazilian city, situated in the north. You can easily catch a boat to Colombia along the Negro river there, and if Djavan de Castilho is a druglord, it's likely he has connections in Colombia. Maybe he's even supplied from there. I'd say it's a good starting point."

"Okay," I said, and began to pack up my things while Ranma called the airport. My mind kept going back to Kuno, and I heard two hefty porters come retrieve Kuno outside the door, and drag him off to who-knew-where.

"All right, we've got seats on United's 5pm flight heading out of Tokyo, and then we pick up Copa Airlines in New York. Let's go."

I stopped. "Wait, we can't just leave. I have to tell Nabiki that we'll be gone for a few days. I'll tell her it's an assignment that's come up in Brazil. She has to know that much."

Nabiki answered the phone on the first ring. "Akane, where are you?" She sounded breathless.

"I'm at my hotel, Nabiki, what's wrong?"

"I…nothing. Um, are you and Ranma alone there? Just the two of you?"

"Yeah." I crossed my fingers out of habit, for not telling her about Jain. "Well, Kuno paid a visit."

"Crap! He found out you were here, and he hared off to find you. Are you okay?"

I thought it telling that she hadn't asked about him. "Yeah, we're fine. Listen,Nabiki, I have another assignment, in Brazil, and I've gotta take off for a few days. But I'll be back in time for the wedding."

"Brazil?" Nabiki's voice sounded tinny on the phone. "Who's in Brazil?"

"No one. It's just something I have to transport. Quick go and return. Don't worry. I'll be back in PLENTY of time, okay?"

"Well, all right. By the way, did I tell you someone broke into my office today?"

I jerked in shock. "What?!"

"Yeah. Luckily, I was home because Dad called and said you were visiting. Otherwise I would've been in the office."

"Oh my God, Nabiki! You could've been hurt!" I shivered with sudden worry for her, and residual adrenaline from Kuno's entrance. "I'm so glad you're okay."

There was a pause. "Yeah, me too. Anyway, I'm fine. So listen, Akane, I have to go. But keep in touch. Where exactly will you be in Brazil?"

"Manaus," I said absently, still processing the information of Nabiki's office being ransacked.

There was static on the phone, and another pause, and I shook the phone."Hello?"

"Geez, this static is really bad…Akane, I can hardly hear you, but have a safe flight. Call me when you get back. Love you."

"Love you too, Nabiki."

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Hey, faithful readers! How's it going? A couple of my sharp-eyed readers have pointed out continuity errors, and I have to apologize for that. Restarting this story after a while means that although I tried, I missed things here and there. You're lucky. I nearly put in a scene in ch 9 where Kalia met Akane- again. Good thing I caught that in time! I'll try to make the appropriate changes for future readers. And for those for whom it's too late, please forgive me and allow me some leniency in this.

Thank you so much for reading! By the way, the next chapter is from Ranma's POV. I've been missing his unique point of view a little bit.

Omake#1:

Ranma began to laugh breathlessly. "I love it when you rip my clothes off, Akane," he said, panting lightly.

"Do you? Me too!" I placed my fingers over the collar of his shirt, and_pulled_. There was a loud tearing sound. Strong arms came up to catch me in their embrace. Ranma slid his hand under my blouse and pulled me down to the floor.

"Does martial arts fighting turn you on, Akane?" Ranma demanded.

"Hell, yeah." I began to kiss his neck.

"Good, me too."


	13. Manaus

Whoa, finally, here's Chapter 13!

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Chapter 13

I'd been to the Guarahulhos International airport in Sao Paulo the last time I was in Brazil, and the Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus was a lot like it, but emerging from the air-conditioned lounge into the wild green of Manaus was breathtaking.

Seriously, the heat and humidity literally pulled the air from my lungs. It was like choking on wet cotton.

I inhaled shallowly, glanced around, and was immediately struck by the lush beauty of the land around us. It was green, green, green. The leaves, that is. The flowers came in various tropical shades of orange, red, vibrant pink and yellow.

"It's beautiful," Akane whispered.

"Yeah," I said, looking around and yanking my sunglasses from my forehead down onto my nose. "If you're into the whole 'living in a sauna' thing." Akane glared at me. "Which, hey, I totally am."

Jain looked up at me, and geez…was that almost a smile on the kid's face? Slay me. He'd hardly said a word to me the whole time we were out getting his photograph taken back in Nerima. And when Akane was around, he usually did his best to pretend I didn't exist, and stuck as close to her as a baby monkey.

A taxi driver with a big smile approached us, looking enquiringly at our luggage.

"Boa tarde! Olá, tudo bem?" he asked, smiling.

Jain and I shrugged. Honestly, we were Japanese. Did we LOOK like we could speak Portuguese? I had a phrasebook, somewhere…I'd bought it last time I was in Brazil, but honestly, I really hadn't needed to use it much. Thugs worldwide understood the language I spoke… Hehe.

"Olá, qual é o seu nome?" Akane asked. Well, apparently Akane could speak Portuguese. And did.

The taxi driver beamed at her. "Márcio, senora." Which I assumed was his name. And then he launched into a whole explanation of something. I could actually understand some of it, because I'd studied Spanish, but I'd rather kick back and listen to them, and maybe catch the flow of the conversation. Sure, I'd picked up SOME of the language the last time I was here, but I didn't want to sound like an idiot in Portuguese…

Marcio seemed to be saying something along the lines of how he knew a great hotel, and he could take us there.

Akane shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "How do we know this place is good?"

"C'mon, Akane," I whined. "I'm hungry. I've been kicking ass, and then I had to live off plane food for 24 hours! My body needs real fuel."

"For heaven's sake, Ranma," Akane scolded, but she was smiling too. Naturally. Couldn't get pissed off at her knight in shining armour, now could she? I remember back in the day when kicking Kuno's ass wouldn't necessarily have gotten me into Akane's good books. My, how times had changed. And change is good…I casually let my arm drape over the length of the taxi seat, and let my fingers play with the feathered locks that curled across Akane's nape. Akane turned her to glare at me. Jain, seated between us, didn't notice a thing.

"Oh, ma'am, the place is run by my irma's cousin," Marcio continued. I racked my brain. Irma? Hermano? Brother? That sounded right. "It's a great place. Nice food. Not too expensive. I will take you in. They'll give you a good deal."

I leaned back as Akane and the driver continued to talk. Truth be told, I was glad to be out of Japan. The whole time we were there, I'd been looking over my shoulder, imagining the shadow of a woman wearing a kimono and a family sword looming over me. My mother hadn't taken very well to me leaving Akane and Nerima behind eight years ago. She'd demanded my reasons at the time, but I really hadn't been up to explaining to her what a gong show that had turned out to be.

It had felt good to thrash Kuno though. My arm twitched where Akane had bandaged up my scratch from Kuno's sword. To finally face him, and extract some vengeance for the hell he'd put me through…it felt damn good. I sighed. Some of the festering anger I'd had inside me since I'd come across Akane again seemed to have dissipated.

We drove through part of the city, and the tall buildings of steel and glass seemed much like other cities I'd seen. Only the lush undergrowth evident everywhere was different. Eventually, Marcio drove deeper into the suburbs, where pretty villas populated the roadsides. He stopped in front of a pink two storey building enclosed by a high stone fence and a gate. He honked his horn outside the gate, and a small boy about Jain's age came running to let the taxi through. Marcio parked outside a large set of double doors, and began to unload our luggage.

A middle-aged woman came out to greet us. She talked to Marcio in rapid Portuguese, too fast for me to understand much. Marcio introduced her to Akane. She greeted us all warmly.

"Guess Liana has 3 rooms," Akane translated for me. "She says Jain can stay with one of us if he wants."

I was already shaking my head. "Nope. I have security issues with that. Forget that, I have issues, period."Akane opened her mouth, but I held a finger up. "Moving on. There's no way I can guard you two if we're all in different rooms. Ask Liana for her biggest room and get her to put us all in there."

Liana apparently understood most of what I said, because she began chattering very swiftly again, nodding and gesturing.

Akane looked as though she wanted to argue, but gave in when Liana began pulling her in.

Jain looked unhappy, but followed. I sympathized with the kid. I wanted to stay in Akane's room with just her and me, too. Liana led us all to a large bedroom, facing a neat, though vibrant garden outside. The room had a large bed and a daybed in a corner. I dropped my duffel bag next to the daybed, and sat down with a tired sigh.

Liana closed the door behind her after Marcio parked the rest of our luggage inside the room, and they left Jain, Akane and me to stare at each other.

"I'm exhausted," Akane declared, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She glanced at Jain, who looked as though he was on the verge of falling asleep. "I'm going to hit the shower, and catch a nap. Ranma, order us some lunch, please? We can work on our battle plan in the evening."

After we'd all showered, dressed, napped and had a light supper, Akane and I walked out onto the balcony, leaving Jain watching Portuguese TV. "We need a plan to find Castilho," she said.

"It's a safe bet that he's in Manaus somewhere." I casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her upper arm. It was starting to get ever so slightly chilly. She reared back to look at me suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. But she didn't move away.

"Kissing you." I tipped her chin up with one finger, and kissed her before she could reply. She tasted warm, and faintly spicy from the food we'd had. I lazily brushed my thumb across her jaw, and tilted my head to deepen the kiss. She hummed against me, and brought her hands up to my chest, caressing the material of my shirt slowly.

I felt something heated begin to uncoil in my chest, and decided I'd played enough for now. I pulled away gently, and the sight of Akane's sleepy eyes looking up at me was nearly enough to make me kiss her again. But her eyes sharpened too soon, and we pulled back.

"This isn't very useful," Akane muttered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Call your contact in Brazil," I suggested. "He may at least have some names to give us."

Turned out, he had names, but he said nothing about them being savoury characters, I noticed, as I looked around the crowded bar where Akane's contact had said one of _his_contacts hung out. The characters that populated the bar made you want to check for your wallet. Or your gun. Three hard muscled buckaroos knocked back glasses of cheap cachaca, the local drink. One of the waitresses, a pretty woman in a dress with no sleeves, was flirting with them.

A long table was taken up by a bunch of construction workers, many of them leaving their hard hats on the table as they poured out ice cold beer for themselves from large bottles. Most of the bar was outdoors, with chairs and tables even on the sidewalk, where pedestrians walked through the tables. Some stopped to buy a drink or greet an acquaintance. At the rickety bar, the bartender was busy pouring drinks for a group of men and women who were laughing and talking, their arms around each other. All in all, a great party scene. Except for the Japanese tourists in the picture.

Yeah, us. Akane and I did our best to blend in, but the glances we got said we weren't doing too great a job.

"Got an instant camera?" I asked. "All you're missing is the floppy hat and the khaki shorts if you're going for cliché." Akane glared at me.

"What?"

"Honestly, Ranma. Why don't you grow up?"

I sighed. "Are you sure this is the place?" I asked.

"Yes! We just have to talk to Pedro, the bartender." Akane walked forward just as the bartender began cleaning up the bar.

"Excuse me, Pedro?" she asked politely.

The bartender glanced up briefly. "Pedro's not working tonight. I'm his replacement."

"Oh." Akane deflated. "Well, can I leave a message with you?"

The bartender nodded without much interest, his eyes on his cleaning rag.

"Please tell him that El Churrascaria's friends need a favour."

The bartender looked up sharply. "Come back in a few hours, I can help you."

Akane looked at me, and I shrugged. Might as well. We'd taken Jain to a nearby hotel as a precaution, and warned him not to open the door for anyone but us. This way, the only people who knew where he was , was us.

A few hours later, when we returned from some light sight-seeing, the bar had been shut down for the night. The lights within were dim.

"Great!" I growled. "What a waste of time."

"Eh! Sir! Madam! Here…" Came a voice out of the darkness. The bartender appeared.

"I'm Pedro," he explained, "But around here it doesn't do to answer right away when people come looking for you. But to repay El Churrascaria…well, that's an opportunity I don't often have."

"That's great," I cut in, "and we're hoping you can help us. What do you know about Djavan de Castilho?"

Pedro jerked. "Then again, opportunities come and go...can't catch them all… Castilho, eh? I'm afraid I have never heard the name..I..Aaah!" Akane was blocking his path of retreat, and I grabbed his collar.

"Listen, buddy, my girlfriend and I…" I ignored Akane's startled glance here. "My girlfriend and I just killed four hours waiting for you! So spill any little piece of information you have on that scumbag right now!"

Pedro tried to wriggle out of my grip. "Castilho? Are you crazy? Just for knowing about him, he would cut your ears off and throw you to the piranhas in the river! You're mad."

"El Churrascaria would be _very_ disappointed if he learned that you were unable to return a favour, Senor Pedro" Akane warned.

Pedro swallowed, his eyes wide with fright. "Okay," he said. "All right." I released him, and he walked over to the bar, pulled out a bottle of caipirinha, and took a swallow.

"Castilho…" he drew the word out, then shuddered. "Well, the man's a dog, no doubt. One of the most successful druglords in Brazil, but really mean, too. I heard, one time, one of the local drug runners got too big for his shoes and asked for a piece of Castilho's pie. The next day, his bones, picked clean by the piranhas, were delivered to his second-in-command."

"So he feeds all his enemies to the fishes? That's…" I began.

"Interesting," Akane murmured.

"I was going to say 'disgusting'."

"Does Castilho have a house around here somewhere, a place he would go if he was hurt?" Akane wanted to know.

"Yes," Pedro nodded. "There IS such a place. It's deep in the jungle somewhere. I've heard it's a few miles down the banks of the Negro River. Only the local Indian tribes would be able to find it. They know where everything is." He took another swig of his drink.

Hm, that sounded like the place we were looking for. It was heartening to know it existed. With luck, Dr. Tofu would be inside, too. Finding the place was a different matter.

We thanked Pedro and made our way back to Liana's establishment, letting ourselves in through the side entrance they had shown us, mulling over the information Pedro had given us.

"We're stuck again. How are we going to find them?" Akane pondered, as she opened the door to our room.

I looked beyond her, and stopped. "I don't think that will be a problem."

Seated in chairs in the room, were what were obviously bodyguards, and someone who could only be Ikoko the Hyena.

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Author Comment: Okay, since I bestirred myself to update, y'all might as well review! Cheers!

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	14. Up the River

Well, hello everyone. I received a review from A Girl Named Tsu (among others) and was shocked to realize that I hadn't updated House of cards in 2008 at all!

I do apologize, this is what comes of trying to finish the story on paper before I post each chapter.

Anyway, here's Chapter 14!

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_**Chapter 14**_

The Rio Negro was as dark as its name proclaimed it would be, and as I watched the cool waters churn past the motorboat, I decided that three scowling bodyguards with hulking muscles and guns pointed at Akane and me was no reason not to enjoy the Amazonian scenery which any tourist would normally be forking out thousands of dollars for.

The vegetation on the banks of the river was dark green and lush beyond anything I had ever seen before. I craned my neck to look up at trees that were as tall as 200 feet, rising well above the forest canopy, which was incredibly dense. Any light that it let in had a vaguely green, foggy appearance. Closer to the ground, I could see trunks up to 16 feet around and braced by massive buttress roots.

Large flowers and fruits grew low on the trunks of some trees, presumably to allow larger, landbound animals to eat and disperse the seeds. Yup, I'd watched the Discovery channel while passing time in more than one hotel room.

Every once in a while, a brightly colored bird would flash through the trees, signaling its location.

As we zoomed around a bend in the river, a deep coughing roar sounded through the trees, and the bodyguards all looked momentarily uncomfortable.

"What's got you boys all riled up?" I wanted to know.

"Jaguar," Ikoko answered, expertly twisting the steering wheel of the boat as we rounded a sandbar. "He's the lord of the jungle around here."

I'd have expected Ikoko to say that would be Djavan, but looking around, it was impossible to think that any man might be master here.

I glanced back at Ikoko. Back at our hotel when he'd surprised us, the Hyena hadn't shot us immediately. He'd just watched us.

* * *

"Don't be alarmed," the infamous Hyena had purred, uncoiling his thin black frame from the cushioned chair to stand before us. "We're your friends." He stood in front of his body guards, lean, dressed in an expensive black suit that seemed all the starker , smiling as though he was the maitre d'.

"Friends!" Akane exclaimed derisively, moving into a defensive position. Jain, who was being held by one of the guards, wriggled free and ran to Akane, who shoved him behind her protectively.

She got a raised eyebrow in reply. "Forgive my manners. I'm Ikoko, the right hand of Djavan de Castilho, a man I believe you two have been looking for."

Akane bowed sarcastically. "Tendo Akane," she announced, family pride evident in her voice. She straightened and cocked a challenging brow at Ikoko, who frowned, but wasn't forthcoming about his own.

I just nodded briefly in Ikoko's direction. "Saotome Ranma."

Ikoko scanned me, but I was projecting neutrality. I just wanted to know why he was here. He didn't give me the impression of a man who had found us by accident. But what he said surprised Akane and me equally.

"Mr. de Castilho would like to invite you two down to his home."

"He wants to what?"

"Why?"

Ikoko smiled, an expression that was perhaps meant to be reassuring, but really wasn't. He tracked us with cold dark eyes, watching our every expression and change of stance. I knew immediately that here was a man who had gone head to head with many an opponent in physical combat, and had won. And I could tell that he knew the same about me.

"Mr. de Castilho has heard that your long lost relative may perhaps be a longtime guest of his. He very much looks forward to your reunion."

And that's how Akane, Jain and I ended up on a motorboat on the Rio Negro, in the middle of the Amazon jungle, with three bodyguards and a pilot who was more dangerous than any of them.

Akane kept turning to look at me. We were both wondering if the other person had come up with a plan. The bleak look in our eyes as we answered each other's unspoken gazes weren't comforting. Though it interested me that we were able to communciate so effectively without words. We just recognized each other's body language in times of crises, it seemed.

It wasn't going to be as easy as us showing up there and Djavan de Castilho saying "Oh my goodness! Dr. Tofu? Of _course_ he's right here. How silly of us not to know his family would be worried about him!" He wanted something. But what? Obviously not Jain, otherwise they would have come and gone with him while we were out scouting.

The final bend of the river in our travels brought us face to face with a large white mansion built of marble and limestone on the banks of the river. Several boats lay floating in a manmade marina. Boats probably were the only way in and out of here, unless Djavan had a helicopter. Which, come to think of it, he probably did.

We docked, and descended to the pier, with the bodyguards fanning around Akane, Jain and me. Ikoko led the way up the incline of the hill, through the front door. The mansion was stunning on the inside. Every luxury that could be flown in or boated in, had been added with no thought for cost. But all I could think about was that it all came from the suffering and death of others. My hands clenched. I didn't think I was going to like Djavan.

And I didn't. The man himself was seated in a large wing chair in his huge study, surrounded by bodyguards and associates. He was staring out the huge plate glass window when we came in, but when he turned to face us, he was all smiles.

"Welcome!" he stood, and approached slowly, with all the grace of a jaguar himself. He wore a white suit, sensible for the heat, and his long dark hair swept off his forehead and flowed down to his shoulders. We were nearly of a height, but the decade or two that he had on me had added extra breadth to his torso.

He approached Akane and took her hand. Raising it to his lips, he kissed the knuckles before giving her a debonair smile. "Tendo Akane, _hajimemashite,_" he said in Japanese. "_Youkoso_." Welcome to my home.

"Obrigada," Akane replied in Portuguese.

He frowned, displeased. I had to smile. Akane had a way of pissing you off if she didn't like you.

Djavan glanced down at Jain, and a gleam entered his eyes. He didn't speak to him, though, but instead turned to me, and the gleam stayed.

"Saotome Ranma, welcome! I've followed your exploits with keen interest," he said in English.

"My…exploits?"I felt suddenly cautious. Akane looked interested, though she tried to hide it.

Djavan's grin grew wider. "I have a friend or two in the Japanese special forces. They're quite awed by you. You have some amazing martial arts skills."

I winked. "Everyone in Japan has amazing martials arts skills."

"Yes, but can they do this?" Out of nowhere, he dumped a glass of water on me, making me shrink and turning me female.

"Oh, man! Whatcha do that for?" I pushed wet red hair out of my face.

Djavan, Jain and the guards stared with amazement at my magnificent breasts that were now filling out my shirt quite nicely. Ikoko, I noticed, looked much more speculative.

"Fascinating! So cold water turns you into a girl, eh?" Djavan exclaimed. "The stories are true!"

I glared up at him, hating the new height difference. "That's right, genius. It also pisses me off."

Djavan grinned, his white teeth showing in his tanned face in a shark-like grin. "I do apologize," he said, his tone not at all apologetic. "But I had to see for myself. When I researched you, I found so many stories about you that it was impossible to tell what might be real and what was simply a tall tale. One of the stories I came across said you fought with a giant bull creature that had wings, and also a snake for a tail! Obviously rubbish! "

_Obviously_, I thought drily to myself, wondering if Pantyhose Tarou would appreciate being called a tall tale. Akane hid a quick smile behind her hand.

Djavan motioned us to sit down, Jain squishing in between the two of us on the sofa. Whatever unfriendly thoughts he might have about me, he obviously preferred me to Djavan.

"Por favor, relax, my friends!" the large drug lord invited. "I know you've had a long journey. Would you like a drink, Akane, Ranma?"

I wanted to tell him where he could put his drink, but Akane's cautionary touch on my arm held me back. We still didn't know where Tofu was, after all. We declined, and he sat as well, lacing his large hands across his knees.

"You're probably wondering why I went to all the trouble of having my men escort you here, all the way up the river." He paused for a second but Akane, Jain and I stared at him inscrutably. Japanese do that well, so I've been told. "You see, I wanted to meet you in person. My organization is growing, expanding, and I have a growing need for useful people. You've met Ikoko, isn't that correct?" He turned to smile at his second in command, who made no motion that he had heard any of the conversation, but instead stared straight ahead.

"Ikoko is Japanese too, after all. I think I have a fondness for the Japanese. What do you say, Ikoko?"

The Hyene inclined his head ever so slightly. "I'm pleased to be of service, sir." But the look he gave me promised violence. Probably didn't like the thought of having me around.

Djavan turned back to me with a pleased look. "As I said, more and more I have a need for fine people, like yourself. Your amazing abilities might well prove useful in a job like this. So, I have a proposition for you, Ranma. The job pays very, very well. What do you say?"

"I say no," I said, and noticed Akane giving me a gratified look.

Djavan frowned, and sat forward. "Si, is that your final answer? We could work well together, Ranma."

"No thanks amigo. I'm not into drug-running."

Anger darkened the Brazilian's face. "I don't think you quite understand…"

"Ikoko tells us that you know where Dr. Tofu is!" Akane burst out, no longer able to hold back.

Djavan turned to her, distracted, and smiled, but I didn't like it. I began to study the room we were in, as well as the large glass window. If Djavan actually told Akane where they were holding Tofu, it wouldn't be a problem for me to get rid of the bodyguards, and escape with Akane and Jain. We'd have to find the speedboat again, but I thought it could be done. Ikoko might be a problem however. _The man certainly didn't claw his way up Djavan's organization on charm._

"Dr. Tofu…yes, is he really related to you?"

"Yes," said Akane.

"And you want him back?"

"Of course!"

"Well, in that case, I propose a trade." _A trade_? My attention switched back to them.

"A trade..." Akane sounded wary. Smart girl.

"Yes, for that strapping young boy over there."

Oh damn. He wanted Jain, after all. This was starting to so not look good.

"Why?" Akane demanded.

"He's got a map on his back, doesn't he?" Djavan smirked. "What more do you need to know?"

"Map? What map?"

Djavan sighed, shaking his head. "Good try, Akane, but we all know the truth." Great. It seemed the whole world knew about the freakin' map!

"I'm not giving him to you."

"Not even to take Dr. Tofu to meet his long-estranged wife?"

"That's your fault! You kidnapped him!" Akane spat.

"Is that right? Too bad then." Suddenly, they all put on masks, and the room began to fill with gas. I struggled not to breathed, but I couldn't do it forever. Akane and I toppled to our knees, tears blurring our eyes.

Akane futilely splayed her hand out, the other clutching her throat.

"Jain…"

That's all I saw before darkness took over me.

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Please, review! And the next chapter shall not be far behind.


	15. Without a Paddle

Yes, another chapter!

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_Chapter 15_

I was dreaming. I knew that because I was floating through the sky, warm currents of air carrying me along with them. It tempted me to lay aside my worries, my cares, that constant nagging part of me that kept wondering out aloud in my mind why Ranma was with me_._ Weirdly the voice sounded a lot like Shampoo's voice. _Akane no can cook!_ _Why Ranma stay with her? Akane pervert girl! Akane like girl Ranma, too, no?_

Yes, I wanted that voice to go away_. Just float, Akane..._

Something brushed my foot. I giggled, but the air was too heavy for me. It entered my mouth and I began to choke. Panic hit, and I struggled to open my eyes, automatically trying to bring up my arms for balance. But I couldn't move them. Something held me tight. _Damn._

My eyes finally popped open, which unfortunately wasn't the improvement I was hoping for. I immediately wanted to scream like a banshee.

I was up to my neck in the Amazon river, submerged in lapping green water choked with weeds and dead leaves, and tiny insects skating across the surface. The only thing that had kept me alive was my body's unconscious instinct to kick and keep me afloat.

But all this I only noticed subconsciously. What was actually taking up the whole of my attention was the giant green and black anaconda undulating about ten feet in front of me. _Oh gracious kami don't let it eat me oh frick_ _where did it come from_?!My heart began to beat so fast I felt like it was sending out submarine signals through the water. How big was the thing? At least 15 feet long from what I could see, and there was only five feet something of me. Not exactly a win-win situation.

It wasn't paying a lot of attention to me, however. So I slowly eased my gaze away. Because anything was better than LOOKING at it.

Where was Ranma? And Jain? Well, it was a certainty that Djavan had kept Jain, but Ranma too? I gritted my teeth at knowing that Djavan and Ikkoko had dumped us in the Amazon river as croc food, or snake food, in this case. If I ever made my way out of this, I would hang Djavan screaming over an abyss of reptiles, and laugh while he peed his pants. Although this was comforting in fantasy, it didn't exactly help my current situation. And where was Ranma?

I saw Ranma's red head at the exact same moment that I realized my hands were tied behind my back. Real nice. Apparently there were no undiluted blessings to be had here.

Ranma was floating face down in the water, and her tied hands were visible. Half her body was resting on a clump of weeds, but she was sliding further into the water even as I watched.

"Ranma!" I hissed, alarmed. "Wake UP!" Obviously the amount of gas she's inhaled as a guy had taken a greater toll than expected with her reduced body mass.

My voice drew the attention of the snake, which swung its head toward me and regarded me out of muddy brown eyes. I couldn't take my eyes off the scaly green muzzle, which no doubt hid sharp and dangerous fangs.

"Nice snakey snakey, there's no one interesting here...why don't you go look for a nice big Jaguar to eat? Maybe it'll claw your freaky face off." Obviously insulted by my death threats, the snake began to swim towards me. Either that or it was getting hungry.

I muttered a quick prayer and began to kick backwards in the sluggish water, but two things were working against me. First, the current was pulling me toward the snake, and second, really what hope did I have of outswimming a water snake in the water?

I looked around, wondering where the bank of the river was. Surprisingly, it wasn't too far away. Damn anaconda! Without it I actually may have had a chance of reaching the shore!The snake reached me fairly quickly and began to wind itself around me, the strong bands of muscle coiling around me smoothly. I began to wrench at my bonds, but they'd cuffed us with thick steel, and I didn't have a lot of leverage to use.

"Akane!"

"Ranma? Oh thank.." I raised my head to see a tall man dressed in a Chinese robe and loose pants standing lightly on the floating mass of weed that had been supporting Ranma. For a second my confused brain wondered where Ranma had suddenly found hot water to change in the middle of the river. However, the still-female redhead hung unconscious off his shoulder. I saw the long braid whip out behind him in a sudden gust of wind, and blinked.

Kalia.

"You!" That seemed to be my usual reaction to him. Well, what did he expect when he kept popping up like a jack-in-the-box?

Kalia leapt into the water and began to swim with strong strokes toward the shore, carrying Ranma in a swimmer's hold.

The anaconda seemed to be heading in the same direction, only it was pulling _me_. I flexed my arms, but it turned its head, opened wide its jaws, displaying gleaming fangs, and hissed at me.

"Oookay, dinner doesn't move, gotcha," I muttered. _When Ranma wakes up, your ass is grass, buddy,_ I fumed at it.

Kalia placed Ranma on the ground and sprinted toward me. He landed in the water with a splash, startling the anaconda, and catching it just beneath its jaws, began to squeeze. The surprised snake immediately released me, leaving me to roll onto the muddy ground.

"Ouch!" I yelled, as I landed in some sort of thornbush.

Kalia ignored me as he continued to squeeze the snake's neck, staring up into its face dispassionately as he did so. It began to thrash and tried to get its length around Kalia, but he was too quick for it, and kept sidestepping nimbly, all the while continuing the increasing pressure on its neck.

Finally, the anaconda hung limp in his hands, and he tossed it into a bush. It weakly slid away.

"Wow, that's some cage fight," a voice muttered behind me. I squiggled around, and saw Ranma weakly trying to sit up, water trickling down her soaked clothes.

Kalia knelt behind me to break my shackles. "Who's your friend?" he asked. "And where's the other one?"

I sighed. "They're the same. Long story short, he's cursed. What are you doing here? In the middle of the Amazon jungle? Last I saw you were in Japan…"

"Who IS this guy, Akane?" Ranma asked as she broke her own shackles and began to wring out her clothes. Kalia watched slack-jawed as Ranma casually took off her tunic and began to wring it out, leaving her breasts quite visible.

"This is Kalia…" was as far as I got before Ranma's head swung up, and there was a dangerous glint in her eye. Similar to the anaconda perhaps.

"There's a real Kalia?" she whispered.

Kalia looked puzzled. "I didn't know I was a legend," he said dryly.

I suddenly remembered that I'd given the name Kalia to my father as my new 'boyfriend'. And Ranma had heard.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill him now," Ranma continued in that oddly hoarse voice, still looking only at me.

"How about I saved your lives?" Kalia replied.

I pulled my ass out of the stupid pincushion thornbush and began wringing out my own clothes. With me still in them. "Ranma, it's not what you think. Honestly. I met Kalia a couple of times since we began this mission. It's always been quite sudden, and always seems coincidental. Not this time, obviously." I turned to our rescuer, looking for an explanation.

He looked at Ranma, then at me. "And this is your boyfriend, you say?"

"Ranma Saotome," I replied, once again dodging the issue. Ranma frowned at me to show she'd noticed.

Kalia gave a great big sigh. "I don't know where to begin," he said.

"Why are you following us?" Ranma, ever pragmatic.

Kalia looked back at us. "Jain is my son," he said simply.

"WHAAAT???" Ranma and I yelled in unison. Birds in the area squawked and took off into flight, startled by us.

"Bu..you..wh…" I shook my head and started again. "Then why was he being sent to the Blue Heron temple? Do you know about the map on his back? Why did Kelly Noriega have him?"

"Kelly Noriega is an acquaintance of mine," Kalia said. "She helped me transport Jain back home."

"Why didn't you do it yourself?" Ranma asked. She had put her tunic back on, and was making her way though the undergrowth to us.

Kalia hung his head. "Jain is afraid of me," he confessed.

Ranma stopped and suddenly looked like she'd realized something. "Wait, you have a braid. Is THAT why he was so afraid of me in the beginning? He thought I was you?"

Kalia nodded sadly. "I haven't seen him for three years. I don't think he remembers my face very well, but he does remember my braid."

Ranma had reached us, and suddenly, without warning, she pulled me into a crushing hug. I was too stunned to do anything but stand in her embrace. She placed her head against my shoulder, and squeezed. This suddenly reminded me of the anaconda again, but before I could protest, Ranma released me and looking up into my eyes, smiled and placed a quick peck on my lips. "I'm glad you're okay, Akane."

"Uh..." My lips could still feel her kiss, even though she'd moved back. Gosh, suddenly I wished Kalia far, far away. Glancing at Kalia, I could tell he wished the same. I looked back at Ranma. "Me too, thanks." Awkwardly, I moved away, casting my mind about for a change of subject. Ranma merely smirked at Kalia and sat down next to me. I folded my legs and joined her.

I remembered something then. "Waitaminnit, Kalia! Jain told me you were a monk."

Kalia's head came up sharply, with something like hope in his eyes. "Jain talked to you about me?"

"Not much," I said, "but I remember that. You belong to the Green Tiger monastery."

Kalia nodded. "We are warrior monks, as well as healers." Finding a handy rock to sit on, he told us about how he'd met a pretty girl in one of the villages near the monastery, and gotten married. When Jain was born, Kalia's wife passed away, so he took Jain back to the monastery to raise.

He told us again about the plane crashing near their monastery, about the monks going out to check for survivors, and finding the two men. Kalia was one of the searchers, and he had recognized them as men of a brute ilk, gangsters, to put it plainly. They were foreigners, and he had seen them arguing even at the crash site, but he'd disregarded it as their own business.

This last part I'd already heard from Jain, too, though it was all new to Ranma.

After the monks took the men in, Kalia had been going down to their rooms to administer more herbal medicine when he heard a thin screaming. He'd run toward the source of the noise and was appalled when he came across one of the men using a knife on Jain's back.

"I saw red, all my mental calmness left me, and I went into a sort of berserker fury. A few minutes later, I was standing in the room bathed in the man's blood, and parts of his corpse was littered across the floor. Jain was staring at me like he couldn't recognize me, and he screamed when I tried to pick him up. From pain, and shock, I suppose.

I carried him out, and left him with another monk. He fell asleep, but as we were treating his wounds, we saw the map."

Kalia clenched his fingers tightly, holding his rage within. "That's when I knew we had to run. Anyone who bothered to draw map on the back of a little boy must surely belong to a group that was determined to get to wherever that map led."

"So I led a false trail away from the monastery, and made sure Jain was taken away to America, where I knew Kelly would keep him safe."

"But this year, Kelly began to receive reports of men looking for a kid with a map on his back, so she contacted me, and couriered him back to Japan."

"To the Blue Heron temple," I said thoughtfully.

Kalia nodded. "Yes, Kelly is an ex-priestess from there. I'm truly sorry for the burning of their temple," he said regretfully. "But it only proved to me that Jain continued to be in danger. That's why I followed you, Akane."

Ranma sent me a sideways glanced, and frowned. I knew what she was thinking. She was blaming herself for not catching Kalia following us, when she had appointed herself our guardian.

Not that I'd given him a lot of time to do that, considering the hard time I'd given him all throughout the trip.

Kalia spotted Ranma's expression, and made a waving motion with his hand. "Don't blame yourself, Saotome. I stayed very far behind you after the time Akane spotted me. I think there were some times you would ahve spotted me, but I used illusion spells to hide."

"Anyway, Jain remembers me as a monster." Kalia glared down at his clenched fists. "And I suppose I am. But I still had to keep him safe!"

The man was an emotional mess, I decided. "So you followed us around on three continents because you were too afraid to talk to your son?" I asked.

Kalia rubbed his head musingly. "Yes, I wish his mother was here."

My heart melted at the thought of little Jain, wrenched away from his home, set down among strangers, and afraid of his phantom berserker father.

"He's older now, he's more likely to understand why it happened, " I suggested.

Kalia shook his head. "I don't know about that. Either way, Djavan has him now, and I'm not about to let him keep him."

"Djavan knew about the map," Ranma interjected. "How?"

The tall monk shrugged. "It stands to reason that it was his men who crashed that plane, three years ago."

We looked at each other. It made a lot of sense.

"Any idea where we are?" Ranma asked finally.

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Well, there you have it, 2 chapters in the space of one day, cos' I was home sick. I think with another 3 chapters, this story will be done! Woohoo! Review and motivate me- please! :)


	16. Into the Woods

Disclaimer: Ranma and Co. belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: I apologize for the wait. I just had to start 'Desperate Princess' because the plot bunny was biting at me to write it. But it's time for a short break from that, so here's the next chapter of House of Cards.

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_Chapter 16_

The Amazon Jungle- where survival of the fittest is not just a maxim, but a way of life. Death haunts every shadow, waits in the shine of tooth and claw, as well as in the murky depths of the Amazon river.

"Yup, the river killed it for sure," I sighed.

Ranma, Kalia and I knelt on the ground in a circle, peering down at my tiny PDA, the screen blank.

I had tried shaking the water out of it, had removed the battery, dried it with a corner of my t-shirt, and replaced it. No frickin' luck.

"So you're saying the map you saved on it is lost?" Kalia asked. The tall, handsome monk with the long braid looked disappointed.

I sighed again. I wasn't a techno-geek. "Well, if I had a blowdryer and a bag of rice, I could have it fixed overnight."

Kalia and Ranma stared at me quizzically.

"Why do you need a…Never mind." Kalia shook his head. "I don't know if I want to know."

"A bag of rice, huh? Go, MacGuyver. Well, I actually have a banana, a straw and some tinfoil…oh wait, that won't help you at all!" Ranma grinned at me.

I glared at her, while Kalia made an amused sound. Picking up the drowned PDA, I stood and brushed the dirt off my bare knees.

"Well, we can't bring up the map…anyone got any bright ideas?"

"I need to get Jain back," Kalia murmured worriedly. He stood now, his fists flexing as though he needed to be doing something. "Who knows what that monster is doing with him?"

"He's probably using him as his personal GPS to find the treasure, that's what," Ranma replied. "But Jain would have been knocked out with the gas, same as the rest of us. And he's a little kid, with half our body mass. I'm guessing he's going to be asleep for a few more hours."

"We need to get back ASAP then, before Djavan takes off on the treasure hunt and we have no idea how to follow them."

"That's going to be harder than we anticipated," Kalia looked up and down the river. "This isn't the main river. It's a tributary, a little canal leading to the river."

"Wait a minute. You followed us, right? Don't you know the way back to Djavan's pleasure palace?" Ranma asked the monk.

Kalia shook his head regretfully. "I hid deep in the boat cabin the whole time. I only saw Djavan drug you, but I knew they'd be dumping your bodies so I ran right back into my hiding spot. I don't know which route they took. All I know is it was a good couple hours by boat."

Ranma and I looked at each other, knowing that we'd just lost more time.

"The Amazon forest is huge, and we need to find our way outta here before it gets dark," Ranma said, standing to wring the river-water out of her scarlet hair and re-braiding it swiftly.

We looked around us. Some animal made a yip-yipping yowling call that reverberated through the forest. Far off to the left, the leaves of lower bushes rustled as some kind of animal moved through them.

"Sounds good to me," I said, slipping my wet PDA back into my shorts, eager to get a move on if it meant we had some kind of shelter by dark.

"Well," Kalia said, squinting in the direction of the setting sun. "We came from the main river, and the tributary must flow down to join it, so let's walk downriver."

We hiked in a line, Ranma leading the way and Kalia behind me. We kept close to the water's edge, away from the thicker underbrush. As I walked, I worried about Jain, wondering how he was doing. He probably still was asleep, but it was very unlikely that we'd get to him before he woke up. I imagined how scared the little guy would be when that happened, surrounded by a bunch of thugs. It might even make him remember his time in the temple, when Djavan's man had so cruelly carved the map into his back. I shook my head. Thinking about Jain would only increase my worry and sense of helplessness.

I _hated_ feeling helpless. I switched trains of thought. Where did the map lead? I recalled the pictures from my PDA, remembering the dotted line crossing the river. There had been a waterfall, too…

"This place is freakin' huge, huh," Ranma said, stepping back so she was walking abreast with me.

"Yup," I replied, glancing down at her. "I've been to some interesting places, but this place is something else."

"Interesting places-you mean your career as a 'delivery girl'?"

"Yup- Saudi Arabia, hottest place ever! And Vegas right after that…and France, where Mousse and Shampoo spotted me…"

"I'll have to get those stories from you some day…" Ranma remarked.

I turned to look at her, but she seemed oblivious to my gaze, scanning the foliage ahead.

Some day. In the future. Where it seemed Ranma continued to see us together, occupying each other's lives.

The scene in my hotel room back in China replayed in my mind- Ranma beating up Kuno, so much fury in his eyes. I'd helped play that trick on him too, whether it had been against my wishes or not. But I knew he still blamed me. And I wondered if some of that fury was reserved for me. The thought made me incredibly sad.

I hadn't trusted him, he said.

And a tiny voice inside me piped up - perhaps that was true.

_Really?!_ I stumbled for a second, my breath catching in shock. Ranma reached out absently and steadied me, then let go as though nothing had happened.

Wasn't that how it was, though? I asked myself in dawning realization._ He watches out for me, but...I don't trust Ranma_. Oh, I trusted him to save me, of course, it was his duty as a martial artist.

But I didn't trust him to _love_ me. Me, exclusively. No other fucking fiancées, pardon my French. Just me, Akane Tendo. I didn't trust he would love me enough to listen to me and save my sister from Kunou without smearing her name forever in Nerima. it sounded weird, but I didn't know if I trusted Ranma to be careful with my heart.

What a wretch I was. Spurning Ranma, who truly was there for me, perhaps as confused as me, but showing me affection the only way he knew how, by claiming me in battle.

_Akane is mine!_

For a moment my vision blurred, and a tear escaped and trickled down my cheek. Realizing all this was not enough. Did it make me trust him any more? I didn't know.

"We're being watched," Ranma said casually, still looking straight ahead.

I stiffened, and had to work hard to avoid the urge to look around. Surreptitiously, I wiped the tear away and used the chance to let my eyes wander. "I don't see anything."

"They blend into the trees really well, but they're there," Ranma affirmed. "I can feel 'em."

We rounded a curve on the bank, and came to a halt. I heard Kalia's intake of breath behind us.

Two men holding spears stood in front of us. Both wore loincloths, and nothing more. They were obviously of Indian descent, with long black hair and smooth bark-colored skin.

One of them thumped his spear and said something.

Ranma raised her hand in a wave. "Uh, hello," she said, smiling and instinctively trying to look cute and harmless. If it wasn't for her gender, it would be like a stick of dynamite trying to pass as a birthday candle.

I tensed as they began to walk towards us. They brought their spears down, the pointy ends aimed at us, and shook the spears somewhat threateningly. Or perhaps it was questioningly. They didn't run us through, and in fact, the man's speech had an expectant quality about it.

"It looks like they want us to go with them," Kalia said.

"It's not necessarily a bad idea," Ranma muttered. "_Someone_ needs to give us directions in this frickin' maze."

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If you weren't paying very close attention, the village of the Indians came into view quite suddenly.

One moment we were being prodded along by their spears, only jungle around us, and in the next we had stepped into a tiny smurf-like village of thatched huts, small winding paths, and most of all, people. Little naked brown children of all ages ran around, playing. Women sat in the doorways of the huts, feeding babies or weaving baskets or mashing food. They wore loincloths, like the men, and long necklaces made of woven grass, but nothing else. Their breasts hung low and full, proudly feminine.

Ranma, used though she was to seeing herself naked, abruptly blushed and looked up at the sky. Kalia, too, after one look, rooted his gaze to his feet.

So I was the only one who saw what seemed like the most unbelievable sight ever. I was so shocked that I stopped, and a spear tip rested gently in warning against my back.

But I was numb to it, in fact, blind to the outside world, all my attention pinpointed to one spot. My eyes must have grown huge in my face. I couldn't have torn them away if I had tried.

We had passed quite a few huts, which had open entrances, and it was through one entrance that I caught sight of what seemed like a miracle.

"Dr. Tofu!"

Ranma's head snapped down and zeroed in on what I was looking at. I didn't pay attention. My entire focus was on the thin man with a brown ponytail and glasses seated cross-legged on the ground, intently staring down at a small pot he was stirring.

I gained my breath, gulped it in, actually, and started forward. "Dr. Tofu!! I found you!"

I began to sprint and slid across the ground to wind up in front of him on my knees, my hands splayed on the ground in front of me.

Dr. Tofu looked up in surprise, staring at me. I gaped up into his face. It really was him!

His eyes took in my appearance, and he looked up at Ranma entering the hut, then looked back at me. "Who are you?" he asked.

Disappointment crashed into my soul. "Dr. Tofu, it's me, Akane!" I cried in Japanese. "Don't you remember me?"

He stared at me blankly, then smiled. "It's been a long time since I heard Japanese, young lady. You say you know me? I'm so sorry that I don't recall our acquaintance."

"You must remember Ranma!" I glanced around, saw a pot boiling on a small fire, and grabbed it to pour the contents over Ranma, who turned male, grew and hit the pot with his head on his way up.

"Ouch! Shorty…" he growled at me in warning, rubbing his head.

But I was too busy watching Dr. Tofu. Had that been a glimmer of recognition in his eyes?

Behind us, Kalia had been putting two and two together. "Do you work for Djavan de Castilho, sir?" he asked, coming forward. "Does this village belong to him?"

At the name, Dr. Tofu's face darkened. "You know Castilho? You are friends of his? Please leave. Just because he forces me to work for him is no reason for me to…"

"This is ridiculous," Ranma ground out, flexing the fingers of his right hand. "They've used some kind of memory erasing technique on him. I can sort that out." He stalked forward and crouched behind Dr. Tofu. His hand moved quickly over pressure points on Dr. Tofu's head and neck, and surprisingly even one on his lower back.

Dr. Tofu's eyes widened and then fell shut as he slumped forward in a faint. I caught his shoulders and lowered him onto the ground. Behind him, Ranma grinned. "You really do pick up a few things along the way in this business," he said, massaging his fingers.

Behind us, the natives who had brought us in were watching with interest. They spoke to each other, gesturing towards us, then left us alone.

I stared up at Ranma in mingled delight and disbelief. "I can't believe it, Ranma! We actually found him!"

"In the Amazon rainforest of all places…who'd have guessed?" Ranma mused.

A few seconds later, my brother-in-law stirred and opened his eyes. He looked up at me. "Akane?" His fingers brushed my cheek as though he couldn't actually believe it. He turned his head and his eyes widened behind his glasses. "Ranma! I'm dreaming."

"No, Dr. Tofu," I said, though my voice trembled. "It's…really us."

We helped him sit up as he brought a shaking hand to his forehead. "Where…am I? I feel as though I've been lost for a long time. I remember…Kasumi, my love! And then…Djavan…"

We all sat silently as Dr. Tofu's memories of the past and present knit themselves together to form a coherent picture. He looked up, his normally mild eyes full of rage.

"Djavan…" he said, in quite a different tone. "What has he done to me?"

"Dr. Tofu, how long have you been here?" Ranma asked, concern in his eyes.

"Far too long, my boy," Dr. Tofu replied. "Djavan de Castilho found the legendary Black Orchid here in the rainforest, and kidnapped me to create the elixir of everlasting youth for him."

"I thought he had a disease?" I asked, remembering Sayuri's story.

"Yes, it's called 'aging'," Dr. Tofu said tersely. He looked at both of us. "What are you two doing here? Ranma, I haven't seen you in years! How are you? And Akane, I haven't seen you since…well, since you last came to Japan. What are you doing here?"

"We followed your trail to Brazil," I explained. "I…had dreams where you were asking for my help." I flushed lightly as I said this. It sounded silly. Why had I chased him across the world because I had dreamt that he needed my help?

Dr. Tofu smiled. "'Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see'. I've always known you were sensitive to such things, Akane. You are the only one in your family who is that way."

"Dr. Tofu..." My shoulders slumped in relief, and I bent my head as tears began to slide down my cheeks to fall unchecked to the dirt ground. After so long, I had found him. Perhaps my dreams would be normal now. He patted my shoulder comfortingly, and then pulled me into a hug.

I could feel Ranma watching us, and wondered what he was thinking.

Then I stiffened, and glanced up at Kalia.

"We still have to find Jain."

----------------------------------

A/N: Wow, yes, she found Dr. Tofu. Finally! Reviews would be appreciated in the form of new chapters! :) You write reviews, I write new chapters. Fair deal, right? :)


	17. The Man with the Plan

_Chapter Seventeen_

I hate the jungle. It's hot, humid, there's a million bugs and it's _wet._ All the jungle missions my special ops team had gone on had been pure hell, with me trying to keep from getting soaked by monsoon showers, waterfalls or just an occasional payload of water down my neck if I happened to be walking under a broad-leafed tree after rainfall.

Sure, at least here and now I didn't have to hide my curse from anybody, but the _bugs..._

I slapped a mosquito to a bloody splat on my neck as I stared down at Akane and Dr. Tofu slumped on the ground, huddled together like two survivors after the storm. Akane seemed to be unaware that her cheeks were shiny with tears, soaking into the shoulder of Dr. Tofu's thin tunic. Or if she knew, she didn't care. For just a moment, her shoulders sagged, her expression was peaceful, and I had the oddest sensation that a great weight had been lifted from her. The sensation was odd because until now, I hadn't realized that weight was there- invisible, but riding her like a demon.

It made me wonder what else I'd missed. It wasn't a feeling I liked.

I had to hand it to her, though, Akane didn't rest on her laurels long. She took about a minute to absorb that she'd really found Dr. Tofu, then drew back to look up at Kalia, determination in her eyes, and said, "We still have to find Jain."

I couldn't help the reluctant smile that curled my mouth. Attagirl.

One of the tiny village women stopped in the doorway, and rattled off something in their native language. I took one look at her and hastily raised my eyes to the grassy roof of the tiny hut. All these women walking around in loincloths left a _lot_ of skin uncovered, and I could tell by the warmth in my cheeks that I was flushing.

I was starting to get an inkling of why Akane had bashed me over the head all those years ago in high school every time I'd skipped wearing my tank-top and let the girls hang out. They were an awesome distraction, but extended exposure could fry the male brain.

"Breakfast?" Dr. Tofu repeated so the rest of us could understand. The bespectacled object of our search hadn't changed all too much, which said something about the man, considering all the crap he must have gone through with that Brazilian bastard Djavan.

He'd sat back from Akane, which relieved the part of me that didn't like her too close to any other guy, regardless of who it was, and stared up at the woman, kind of a tough feat considering that even kneeling, he almost came up to her eye level.

She chattered again. "They want you to stay and have breakfast," Dr. Tofu translated."The Corvu have now determined that you're guests, and you can't be allowed to leave the village without partaking of their food."

Akane sent me a frustrated glance, like she thought I had some sorta magical solution. I snorted, dispelling that idea immediately. "Do I _look_ like the Ann Landers of Amazonian Village etiquette?"

Akane shook her head. "We can't afford to lose time," she said worriedly. "Jain is still out there."

"Who is Jain?" Dr. Tofu asked, looking puzzled. "Is he one of your martial arts friends?"

"He's just a kid!" Akane replied sadly, just as Kalia chimed in, "He's my son." The monk looked calm as ever, but he had to be worried on the inside. I knew we all were.

I pitched in the point I thought was most relevant. "Djavan has him." And wanted to use him like a human map. And what did you do with maps once you didn't need them any more? You crushed them and tossed them in the nearest waste disposal unit.

Dr. Tofu drew a deep breath. "Do you know where he is?"

Kalia, Akane and I looked at each other. "Not really," Akane confessed.

Dr. Tofu looked thoughtful. "If he's with Djavan, I may be able to help, but we should think this through carefully, and it couldn't hurt to do it over a meal."

I took a deep breath and switched my attention to Akane and Kalia. "Dr. Tofu's right. We have no idea where Djavan and his crew are right now. Dr. Tofu's probably our best link to them, and we need to have a plan to get him back. But..." I looked at Kalia, at the hidden tension in his normally serene face. "Kalia, man, the final choice is yours. If you wanna go after him right now, I'm with you. You saved Akane's life back in the river, and I owe you for that." I could see Akane's eyes widen with surprise out of the corner of my eye, but I continued to stare at Kalia.

The monk looked down at his folded arms, deep in thought. Then he looked up, his tiger eyes glinting. There was a new emotion there- hope. "We monks of the Green Tiger temple believe in certain _wari_- signs, and I believe this," he indicated the hut around him with a palm, "is a sign. That one in my group has succeeded in her own mission gives me faith that I'll succeed in mine." He bowed his head towards Akane. "If it's all right with you, Akane, we will eat and plan."

Akane nodded wordlessly, and the village woman chattered at Tofu again, this time slanting a glance up at me. Dr. Tofu switched his attention to me. "Ranma, Alinga here would like your help in preparing for breakfast."

I started. "My help? Doing what, spearing piranhas?" What did these people eat for breakfast anyway?

Akane scowled. "Just go with her, Ranma. Kalia and I will fill Dr. Tofu in on everything. The faster we eat, the faster we can leave."

"Fine." I huffed and followed the woman, Alinga, out of the hut into the sunshine. She was about the height of your average, run-of-the-mill Japanese _obaa-san, _which meant the top of her little bun just about hit me at shoulder level. She collected two more young women as she walked, both of whom stared at me with fascination and chattered away between themselves.

I felt another presence to my left, male. "They wonder how you went into hut girl and came out man," said the presence, and I turned to see a brown-skinned village man, not much taller than Alinga, walking with us. Weirdly, he was talking Japanese, not great, but passably. "And why the other woman's hair so short. Wonder which of you is real woman."

I burst out laughing at that, surprising all of them. "Oahhh, you wouldn't...haha...understand...why that's...funny," I gasped, remembering all my battles to prove myself a 'real man'. For some reason his comment had struck me as hilarious. I gave a final chuckle and straightened. "Don't worry, sometimes I wonder that myself." I turned and winked at the women. "For right now I'm all man, ladies." Although they didn't understand my words, the two younger ones giggled at my smirk, and Alinga scolded them.

"How is it you speak Japanese?" I asked my translator. He spat in disgust, startling me with the vitriolic reaction.

He glared up at me. "Is because of the Hyena. Ikoko and his men, none want to speak our language, but attack our village and force us to serve them. Then few of us forced to learn their language. I, Mandu, learn also."

I frowned, walking along with them in silence. That whole crew of Djavan's had just about gotten on my last nerve. And I blamed myself for letting them take Jain. I should have anticipated an ambush, but I'd been distracted by his mercenary interest in my female body. We could have been on our way back to Manaus with in tow by now. If only.

"How does Djavan get around this place?" I asked, looking around the deep green jungle. As far as I could tell, the place was a maze of swamps and hidden waterways. If it weren't for my training, I would never have even guessed there were people in the jungle, back when Akane, Kalia and I were walking along the river.

"He has local guide," Mandu replied, and turned to spit again. "Boy from other village, far away. Taught Djavan how to live with the river."

I pondered that as we walked. If Djavan had a local guide, would that guide be better able to understand the map on Jain's back? I was about to ask more, when everyone stopped. I looked around. We were in front of a tall tree with no branches. It just went straight up like a telephone pole.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

Mandu pointed up at the tree, and I followed his gaze. A hornet's nest was nestled against the bark half way up the tree. A few hornets crawled outside it, but not many. "You're kidding me." I stared.

One of the young women slipped a woven grass blanket off her shoulder and offered it to me, gesturing up towards the nest. I shook my head at her. "Wait, you want ME to bring down the hornet's nest?" I backed away slightly. Hornets were unpleasant. The buzzing nest stirred up unpleasant memories of doing my best to stun bees as part of my training back in Nerima, and...Wait, what were they going to do with them? Were they going to _eat_ them? I gagged.

Alinga chattered at me. Mandu smiled and translated. "You are tallest. It is easiest for you. You climb tree, throw blanket over nest."

Yeah, well...I may be tall, but I damn sure didn't like creepy little insects with stingers. I took a deep breath. Okay, no need to panic. It really wouldn't be that hard. And it wasn't.

I grabbed the blanket and stepped back a few feet. Alinga and the rest looked askance at me, but I just stared up at the nest. "Okay, here goes." I leapt from a standing position, not easy, but I'd been training for years after all...ten feet, fifteen feet, twenty feet...there! I'd judged it exactly. I bent catlike in the air as I snagged the blanket around the nest at _Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken_ speed, and fell back to the ground to land lightly, holding the bag as far away from me as possible.

A single hornet escaped the blanket and began to buzz towards one of the young women. My index finger whipped forward in reaction, and the hornet fell stunned back into the blanket.

"For you." I returned the bag with a short bow to the girl who'd given it to me. She took it from me, wide-eyed. Mandu looked too astonished to talk. I smiled at them. "Anything else?"

* * *

Akane stood beside me and watched in horror as the village women tossed the contents of the blanket into a large cast-iron pan on an open fire. A few hornets escaped and flew around dizzily, but the smoke from the fire soon enveloped them. The toasted bits of hornet and nest were then broken up with giant pestles, and then further crushed.

"That's breakfast?" Akane asked faintly, looking green.

"Of course not, Akane!" Dr. Tofu said robustly beside her. As she exhaled, he added, "It's a small part of breakfast. They'll grind that into a paste which is a condiment to various roots which they dig up and steam. Quite tasty really."

Akane turned on her heel and stepped away hastily. Dr. Tofu and I shared a grin of male cheer over her quickly disappearing head.

Dr. Tofu was right. The meal actually wasn't unpleasant.

"It's kinda like…hm, crunchy guacamole," I said, consideringly. I chewed a little more. Yeah, I'd had worse.

Akane glared at me. "I don't want to hear your commentary on my food, Ranma," she ground out between bites. I grinned at her, and she made a face back at me.

"Okay, then," I said, "let's talk about how to get Jain back. I assume you filled Dr. Tofu in on what we've been up to for the past few days?"

Akane nodded, as did Dr. Tofu, a small frown between his brown eyebrows. "Indeed, Ranma, and it's all been a lot to take in. Everyone back home in Japan thinks I'm dead. And I've been working for a druglorddrug lord for the past three years!" He shook his head, clearly baffled by it all. "Nevertheless, yes, it's clear we must rescue Jain. I don't know how to find Djavan, but I know who does." He glanced at Akane and Kalia, who were watching him hopefully. "We've discussed this. I have a contact in Djavan's camp. However…" He paused and looked up. "I'm only supposed to contact him if I ever come up with the potion of youth for Djavan."

"Hmm," I muttered, working through it. "So you're planning to call this contact and tell him you have the potion? You're hoping Djavan wants it so badly that he'll drop everything, including his treasure hunt, and come get you?"

"You don't know mad he is after over this potion, Ranma." Dr. Tofu took off his glasses and wiped them on the edge of his sleeve. He replaced them on his nose and focused on me. "His contact checks in with me every week. Djavan himself comes by every month, asking about my progress. And he's been looking…unhappier, lately. I got the feeling that if I didn't produce results soon, he might end up looking for another doctor, and my …employment….would be terminated."

There was a moment of silence. None of us had any illusions about how Djavan might terminate an employee. Any terminations of that nature would probably be of the permanent kind.

"So what will you give him when he actually shows up here?" Kalia asked.

Dr. Tofu dug into his tunic and produced a small bottle filled with black liquid. "This was filtered from the rare silver orchid. It provides the user with a burst of energy, much like the rush from an energy drink, but only quicker. Djavan has never seen this. I saw no point in showing him something he hadn't ordered. However, if I can trick him into thinking this is the potion, that the energy rush is actually his body becoming younger, then perhaps that would give us the time we need."

"What if he suspects you're trying to poison him so you can escape?" I asked. I'd actually seen that happen in a previous op of mine. It hadn't turned out well for the poisoner.

"Two things- first, he doesn't know you're here and he and I both know I can't escape the Amazon on my own. It's too easy to get lost." The doctor smiled bitterly. "And secondly- Ikkoko has standing orders to shoot me if Djavan drinks something I give him and dies."

Hm, suspicious son of a bitch.

Though a part of me whispered, _yeah, you don't get to live that long by trusting people. _It was the part of me that had kept me alive in all the years between Nerima and now, the part that had awakened as I did my best to survive. Yet the longer I was with Akane, the more I wanted to trust her. I just didn't know if she deserved that trust from me yet. But I knew what I _did_ trust her to do.

I sighed, and pushed my empty bowl away, and grabbed a bowl of water to rinse out my fingers. "Okay, so Djavan and Ikkoko and a few of his men are the ones likely to come. The best way is to isolate Djavan and Ikkoko from the rest of their men. I think Kalia and I can take it from there," I said with a brief glance to the monk, who nodded.

Akane glared. "What about me? I can fight too!"

I smiled inwardly. Right on cue. I already had my argument ready. "Jain's gonna be right next to Djavan, I doubt he's gonna let the kid out of his sight right now. You need to grab him and run."

Akane paused, thinking, then nodded reluctantly. I leaned forward. "I trust you to keep him safe, Akane," I whispered. She nodded and swallowed. That much at least was true. I'd seen the lengths she'd gone to, to keep the kid safe. And even now, after reaching her objective, he was all she could think about.

I leaned back. "Okay, let's talk about our plan."

* * *

Dr. Tofu tried calling Djavan's men from his satellite phone, but the call didn't go through. He tried for twenty minutes before giving up in frustration.

"Sometimes the signal here can be unreachable for hours," he said. "I'll try again in an hour. We may have better luck then."

With some time to kill, Akane, Kalia and I stared at each other.

Kalia swiped a hand across his forehead. "I am too full of emotion," he muttered. "If you'll excuse me...this is a chance for me to catch up on my daily prayers."

We watched sympathetically as he strode away. Having Jain gone for so long was obviously a strain for even him. No doubt some meditation would help him find his focus again.

Akane pulled at her sweaty t-shirt. "Is there a place to get a shower around here, Dr. Tofu?"

I chuckled. "You're looking for a shower in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, while we're on a rescue mission?"

Akane gave me a half-hearted swat across the shoulder. "I'm too hot and sticky to hit you properly."

Dr. Tofu smiled. "We don't have a modern shower, but we can give you the next best thing."

A few minutes later, Akane and I stared at the ten-foot waterfall thundering down into the valley above us. Mist from the waterfall coated our faces even at this distance.

"He wants us to bathe there?" Akane squeaked. "He can't be serious!"

Ahead of us, Mandu turned and grinned. "No, haha...of course you can't bathe there. The stream becomes much smaller and calmer further downstream. It's much better for bathing."

He was right. Almost immediately, we turned a corner and reached a large, calm and tranquil pool, fed by a four foot high waterfall that fell much more gently.

Akane walked up to the edge and tested the water. Black mud squished between her bare toes. She turned. "Are there any...you know...leeches in here?" she asked Mandu uncertainly.

"No," he reassured her. "The pool is safe to bathe in." There were two or three other villagers swimming around in the pool as well, so I figured it couldn't be too bad. I shucked off my shirt and pants and took a running leap, diving into the cool green water.

My head broke the surface and I shook water from my eyes and looked around to see Akane staring at me, open mouthed.

"What?" I asked. "The water's great."

Akane shook her head slightly, like she was getting rid of unwelcome thoughts, and closed her mouth.

She hesitated on the bank, then made a what-the-hell motion with her shoulders, and shrugged off her top and shorts. She quickly waded into the pool in her bra and panties, looking anywhere but at me.

I grinned. "Are you shy?"

She blushed. For some reason, I suddenly remembered the kiss I'd given her after Kalia had saved her from the anaconda. It had been completely impulsive, I remembered, no thought, no plan behind it whatsoever. When I'd seen that gigantic snake, all I could feel was relief that Akane was safe, and I'd had to express that relief somehow. And the look she'd given me after...like she thought it might be a good idea to do it again...

Akane coughed, and I realized I'd been staring at her. Damn.

She opened her mouth to say something, but I beat her to it. "Water's nice, huh?" _Ok, Saotome, not the coolest line you could have used..._

To my surprise, Akane started giggling. "Which water do you mean, precisely? The river water we were tossed in, where we nearly got eaten by a giant snake, the pounds of water that've been soaking us every time we pass under a tree with big leaves, or all the humidity in the air that makes it feel like I'm breathing through a water-soaked t-shirt?"

I smiled. "Speaking of water soaked t-shirts, it seems kinda pointless to take a bath when we're just gonna go back into our wet clothes, doesn't it?"

Akane shuddered. " I know," she said. "But I just wanted to feel clean for a little bit."

I was about to reply when something caught my eye above her. I raised my gaze to meet wild green eyes glaring down at us from the top of the waterfall. A jaguar. For a moment, my blood froze, and the cat-phobia reared its ugly head. Sure, I was a world class martial artist, and no jungle animal was gonna make me do more than sneeze, but any feline still put the fear of Bast in me.

Akane turned to see what I was staring at, and I saw the back of her bare shoulders start to squeeze together as she drew in breath for an involuntary scream. I clenched my teeth to overcome my own paralysis, and swiftly crossing the distance between us, had my hand wrapped around her mouth to stifle it.

"Don't scare the others," I whispered in her ear. The other villagers were still oblivious.

She stiffened, then allowed herself to slowly relax. The jaguar stared down at us for a moment longer, then quietly slipped away.

Akane and I sighed together. I released her and we moved apart.

She looked up at me. "Thanks, Ranma. I'm glad you stopped me from screaming. It might have attacked if it heard me." She stared at me as though she could see how much it had cost me to move past my own fear.

I was startled. No yelling at me for touching her while the two of us were in our birthday suits? No screaming about inappropriate behaviour?

Hmm...being thanked really was a new sensation for me.

* * *

Nearly three hours later, I crouched high above Dr. Tofu's hut, on the branch of a huge mango tree. Akane was situated behind the hut, and Kalia had found his own hiding place, but I sensed him close by.

Dr. Tofu had managed to make the call on the satellite phone he had. The phone emitted so much static it was a wonder he could even hear the guy on the other side. He'd managed to communicate his 'find' to his contact, however, and there was a lot of excited chatter from the other end.

"Stay put, we'll be there shortly," he'd been told and then the line was abruptly disconnected.

How long was 'shortly'? I did a visual sweep of the jungle, absently swatting another mosquito. I'd been up here for over two hours now. My silk shirt, great for a night out on the town, didn't cut it so well here in the jungle, thought my cotton pants sufficed well enough.

My eye caught a gigantic orange and black caterpillar inching its way sinouslysinuously down the trunk I was leaning my hand on.

"Ugh!" I yanked my arm away. Hairy and ugly, just what I needed as a neighbour.

My mind returned to Akane, crouching behind Dr. Tofu's hut. I'd walked her to her hiding spot after lunch, wondering what she planned to do once we caught the first plane out of this bug-ridden country.

"What's on your mind, Ranma?" she asked finally, kicking aside a piece of vine on the path.

"Huh?"

"You've been staring at me for a while now. You stared at me all through breakfast. And at the pool. I _know_ I didn't suddenly sprout horns, because I checked..." she mockingly rubbed her fingers through the top of her silky hair and grinned up at me. "So...what are you thinking about?"

I stayed silent for a moment, then shrugged. "Just wonderin' what you thought about finding Dr. Tofu, is all. It was pretty unexpected."

Her grin changed to a frown so quickly that years of conditioning nearly made me duck, but she looked away.

"It's great," she said.

"Wow," I said. "Let's not hold a parade for it."

She stifled an involuntary chuckle and turned back to me, her eyes lightening. "I _am_ happy that we found him. You don't know what it was like, dreaming about him so much, and wondering why. Actually...they were more like nightmares...But now..."

I didn't have to guess to know what she was going to say next. I'd lived with her family for too long. "You're worried that Kasumi's gone too bonkers to want him back."

"You saw her, Ranma!" Akane cried. "She's always been so cheerful, but now she's gone over the edge into Alice in Wonderland- Mad Hatter style!" She looked away. "To be honest, she's been that way since shortly after Dr. Tofu disappeared. " More quietly, so that I almost didn't hear her, "That's why I hadn't been back to Japan in so long. I couldn't help her, and I couldn't bear to see her that way."

I reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, let's cross that bridge when we get to it. We've still gotta get out of this evergreen hellhole and make it back home with the monk, the kid and the doc." No point worrying about Kasumi's feelings until we got to her cute little Japanese doorstep. After all, Akane hadn't had dreams about marriage counseling, now had she?

"But..."

"I know, Akane." For just a few moments, I relaxed and let myself forget about our history together. I knew what it was like to have crazy relatives. My mom alone was enough reason to spend about a year on a couch spilling my life to a professional psychologist. "I know you're worried about Kasumi." And all of a sudden I had an absolute blinding moment of _knowing_. It came so suddenly that it spilled out of my mouth before my brain could step in and yank it back.

"You thought if you brought Tofu back, that'd fix Kasumi."

Akane gave me such a stricken stare that I knew it was true, though that no less made me want to kick my own ass for allowing my mouth to outspeed my brain. "I thought..." she started, then stopped. "I don't know what I thought! But I know I have to take Dr. Tofu back. After that, I don't know what happens."

I shrugged. "Same here, sweet. So how about we focus on getting him there and worry about afterwards...afterwards?" She had a long appointment with me, for starters, whether she knew it or not. And this time I'd keep her handcuffed to the bed.

With that pleasant thought, I settled back in my tree to wait.

It wasn't another ten minutes before I heard the sound of a motorboat stopping in the distance. I tensed. This was it. They'd really come! Time to make a move.

I watched from the tree as two gunmen emerged from the river path. They strode into Dr. Tofu's hut. I hung back, wondering where Djavan was. I waited..and waited. HAD he sent just the two men? Well, we'd considered that possibility as well. It was just a matter of grabbing the men and forcing them to tell us where their hideout was. Eventually, I swung down from the tree on silent feet, and inched forward to the entrance of the hut, trying to extend my hearing as far as possible.

"...the potion?" one of the men asked in a rough voice. Closer up, I recognized him as one of Ikkoko's men.

"Yes, this is it," Dr. Tofu was saying. "But where's Senor de Castilho? I thought he would come for it himself."

"Senor de Castilho is occupied at the moment," said the other one. He had a smoother voice. For some reason, he sounded more dangerous. "All you need to know is that we have been instructed to bring you to him."

"Or at least to a meeting place," added Rough Voice. "He will wait till it's safe and then come out to..."

His partner smacked him with his gun. "Cale a boca, Louis! The good doctor does not need to know all our arrangements..."

I backed away before I could hear the rest, because Kalia had approached silently behind me. He was very good, but I was better, and I stopped him with an outstretched hand just as his body tensed to rush the hut.

He scowled at me. I put a finger to my lips and motioned him away from the hut around to where Akane hid. Her eyes widened when she saw us.

" We can't attack these men," I whispered to them. "They're going to hand Dr. Tofu over to their buddies at a pre-assigned meeting place, and my bet is if they don't see them, they'll never show themselves."

"But we have to follow them," Kalia insisted.

We looked at each other. "The boat!" We sprinted for the river, just as the men began to usher Dr. Tofu down the path with their guns.

We reached their boat quickly, and groaned at the size of it. The dam thing was tiny. There was just one locker, which would fit one of us.

We heard voices coming down the path. I swore and swiftly shoved Kalia into the locker, slammed it shut, grabbed Akane by the wrist and jumped overboard. Her surprised shriek was swallowed by the water covering our heads as we sank. I didn't need to feel the change to know it had happened. When my head broke the water it was red and I had breasts. A few seconds later, Akane's head broke the water as well and she glared at me furiously.

"What do you think you're...!"

I grabbed the rail on the side of the motorboat that normally functioned as a stepladder. "Shut up and grab on!"

Akane stared, then shock blossomed on her face. "You've got to be kidding me, Ranma!" she hissed. "You want us to hitch a ride with a speedboat? And why did you shove Kalia in the locker?"

"You have shorter hair," I explained. "I didn't want his damn long braid catching in the motor fan and alerting those jerks."

Akane scowled, then hushed as the men approached and shoved Dr. Tofu onto the boat. The motion made the boat rock slightly, and Akane grabbed the rail as well.

The motor started with a loud _whrrr_, startling us both. The damn thing sounded like thunder when you were right next to it.

"Hold tight!" I whispered, and then couldn't resist adding, "This ride is about to get bumpy."

Akane's scornful eye roll was the last I saw of her face before white surf covered us both.


End file.
